[Square] Responding to 'COVID-19' and Climate Change

Ryu Chang-su Juga Bong Ambassador

Recently, global attention has been focused on wildlife protection and climate change response during the investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The tropical rainforests of West Africa, including Gabon where the author works, are known habitats for bats, pangolins, and other species identified as intermediate hosts of the coronavirus. These animals are illegally traded, and their excrement mixes on the floors beneath cages, creating an environment where mutant viruses can emerge and potentially spread to humans who come into contact with them.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60% of infectious diseases that have spread worldwide over the past 20 years are zoonotic, and 75% of these originated from wildlife. If these tropical rainforests, which serve as habitats for such wildlife, continue to be overexploited without protection even after COVID-19, there is a possibility that other infectious diseases as severe as COVID-19 could emerge at any time.

The West African tropical rainforest, along with the Amazon, is one of the world's two major tropical rainforests. It not only serves as a habitat for wildlife but has also functioned as the "lungs of the world," absorbing more than 15% of the greenhouse gases emitted by humanity since 1990. However, due to recent droughts, wildfires, and deforestation, the Amazon is likely to become a carbon source rather than a carbon sink by the mid-2030s. The carbon absorption capacity of the West African tropical rainforest is also rapidly weakening. Additionally, the West African tropical rainforest significantly influences rainfall in the East African region, which in turn affects the water volume of the Nile River located in Northeast Africa and agricultural production in that region, thereby having a substantial impact on the entire African economy.

The global spread of COVID-19 has taught us that the destruction of natural ecosystems can bring unforeseen disasters to the human world at any time. Ultimately, to fundamentally overcome COVID-19, it is necessary for all humanity to make a comprehensive shift in lifestyle?respecting nature and protecting the environment by changing indiscriminate consumption and dietary cultures. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who devoted his life to medical service in the Lambareine tropical rainforest of Gabon, stated, "The deeper we look into nature, the more we realize that humans do not exist alone but are closely connected and deeply dependent on many other forms of life. Respecting all life and achieving mutual coexistence is the path for humanity's future."

Various forecasts have been made about the global changes COVID-19 will bring, but there is consensus that in times of crisis, cooperation based on solidarity and coexistence, rather than individual survival, is the way forward for the world. Despite the difficulties caused by COVID-19, South Korea has been recognized as a model country for quarantine, adhering to principles of transparency, openness, and democracy under high civic awareness. Now, South Korea is at a point where the world has great expectations for it to play an active role and contribute to rebuilding the world in the post-COVID era following its success with K-quarantine.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres said, "Overcoming COVID-19 must be accompanied by climate action to be effective, and we especially expect leadership from Korea." South Korea also needs to increase its role and contributions in creating a sustainable world where everyone prospers together in the post-COVID era following K-quarantine. Last year, our government participated in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multilateral Trust Fund for the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), aimed at protecting African tropical rainforests and responding to climate change, joining efforts to protect West African forests. If we continue to take the lead in responding to climate change and actively contribute to forest protection, it will open new horizons for our diplomacy in the post-COVID era.