Sunny climate, stormy climate | Weekly Digest #38
South Korea's top court tells the govt to amp up their climate targets, India is now the world's largest plastic polluter and the story of how 100 tons of dead fish choked a port in Greece
Hello folks! Here’s your weekly dose of climate updates where I bring to you 3 climate stories, 1 climate action and 1 climate content reco!
🌞 Sunny news 🌞
1. South Korea’s courts asks the govt to revise their climate plans as current targets do not protect rights of future generations!
What are we talking about?
South Korea’s constitutional court was ruling on 4 climate cases filed since 2020.
One of the plaintiffs was a 20 week old embryo! This case came to be known as ‘Woodpecker v/s South Korea’ after the embryo’s in-utero nickname
South Korea’s current climate goal is to reduce their carbon emissions by 40% (compared to 2018 baseline) by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 under the ‘Carbon neutral act’. However the path from 2030 to 2050 is not defined.
The court ruled that the current measures were indeed insufficient and a violation of the constitutional rights of future generations.
The Court did not find fault with the 2030 goal. But it declared that because the law failed to specify carbon-emission reduction targets for the years between 2031 and 2050 — when the country said it would achieve carbon neutrality — the constitutional rights of future generations had been violated.
The court mandated the creation of emission reduction plans for the period from 2031-49 and instructed the government to amend the carbon neutrality law by February 28, 2026, to incorporate these plans.
Why does this matter?
This ruling has been hailed as ‘historic’ as its the first of its kind in Asia and could inspire litigation in other countries.
The government’s Ministry of Environment has said that it respected the court’s ruling and would take follow-up measures.
Sources for further reading
What can ‘I’ do? 😎
This section brings to you a simple action you can do as a step towards leading a more sustainable life
Buy local
As a principle, buy local whenever you can. What that means is try to buy things that are grown or manufactured as close to you as possible.
For example: Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables based on where you are. Buying off season fruits/ veggies will mostly mean they have come from far away. Basically, don’t buy mangoes in November that come from Malawi! 🙄
Why does it matter?
Transporting stuff needs energy and results in emissions. Stuff is mostly transported on road, rail or in ships (if its coming across countries). And transportation is responsible for 20% of all emissions globally!
So if you can try and reduce the distance something has to travel to reach you, you reduce emissions and every drop helps!
🌩️ Stormy news 🌩️
2. India now the largest plastic polluter globally
A study done by the University of Leeds and published in Nature shows that India has emerged as the largest plastic polluter accounting for 20% of all global plastic emissions
India produces 9.3 million tons of plastic waste annually, double that of countries like China, Nigeria, and Indonesia.
Earlier studies had shown China to be the largest polluter but it is now ranked 4th behind India, Indonesia and Nigeria
Why does this matter?
Plastic pollution is a major problem. It is clogging the worlds oceans, affecting plant and animal life and has resulted in a microplastics invasion.
Today, there are microplastics and nanoplastics all around us — in every corner of the world, inside every living being, in the air we breathe, and the water we drink. Microplastics can be extremely harmful to human health. Studies on microplastic accumulation in the body have shown an association with cardiovascular health problems resulting in heart attacks or strokes.
Want to test how well you understand plastic pollution? Try this quiz!
Sources for further reading
3. A sea of dead fish collect around the Greek port of Volos; experts say blame it on extreme climate fluctuations
What are we talking about?
More than a 100 tons of dead fish washed into the port of Volos in Greece creating a stinking odour. The city had to declare an emergency.
The fish came from Lake Karla in central Greece, a fresh water lake. The lake swelled to thrice its size last year when there was a flood. This forced the fish out of their natural habitat. This was followed by a drought and eventually the fish got pushed to the sea. The freshwater fish could not survive in the sea resulting in the mass death event.
Why does this matter?
This is yet another example of the impact extreme weather events (such as flooding and droughts) can have on life
Sources for further reading
Sailee’s climate picks
In this section, I bring to you 1 piece of climate content I’d like to recommend
Climate science translated by a comedian
You can read previous editions of the newsletter -
Sunny climate, stormy climate | News Digest #37
Sunny climate, stormy climate | News Digest #36
Sunny climate, stormy climate | News Digest #35
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I live in a Canadian province where the government is the voice of Oil and Gas and is actively impeding the renewables industry. Thanks for your work.
We have the best solution to Mass Fish Kills caused by Nutrient, N & P, pollution that causes Algal Blooms and low Dissolved Oxygen.