Catholic clergy, religious and laypeople in South Korea joined a nationwide street rally with a street Mass on 14 April, demanding justice for victims of climate change in the country and the world.
The climate rally, organised by 350 civil society organisations including Catholic climate groups, attracted about 4,000 people from across the country. It was held in Sejong City and about 300 Catholics were among the participants, led by the Catholic Climate Action group.
Abbot Blasio Park Hyun-dong, president of the Korean bishops’ Committee for Ecology and Environment, celebrated a Mass on the street for Catholics during the rally.
“When we show the world our commitment to being together with our poor brothers and sisters and with all creatures on earth, we can lay the foundation for a sustainable future,” he said.
Fr Stephen Yang Ki-suk, chairman of the Ecological and Environment Committee of Suwon diocese, highlighted that developed countries emit greenhouse gases that cause climate change, and it causes suffering for people in underdeveloped countries.
He noted that Korean society is also responsible for the crisis because “the government and companies that lead development projects do not take responsibility for environmental destruction”.
A significant number of participants were farmers and fisherfolk who had lived in farming and fishing villages whose environment has been destroyed by climate change. Participants said that disabled people, migrants, and the poor have been excluded from climate crisis response processes.
The demonstrators presented a charter of demands to the government, including a guarantee of basic energy rights, strengthening energy distribution and the recovery of excessive profits from energy companies.
They also called for coal and nuclear phase-out policies, the protection of greenbelt land, the expansion of public transport and the scrapping of plans for a new airport.
Fr Joseph Kang Seung-soo, a representative of the Catholic Climate Action group, stressed the need to support poor communities who suffer due to climate change.
“If a climate disaster occurs, those with money can maintain their daily lives, but the poor have no choice but to bear the damage,” he said.
The Korean peninsula has been experiencing dramatic changes in climate, triggering a rise in temperatures and heatwaves, frequent wildfires and flooding caused by exceptionally heavy rainfall, according to the state-run Korea Meteorological Administration.
The agency said the consequences of daily life and industrial activities are driving extreme environmental change on the Korean peninsula.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’, Catholic dioceses in South Korea have been adopting long-term pastoral plans focusing on environmental protection.
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