Lee Jae-myung: "Climate Change Also Responsible for Long-armed Gibbon Extinction... National Attention Needed on Environmental Issues"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced that he will actively work to overcome the global climate crisis and protect the environment.

On the 23rd, Lee stated on Twitter, "Today is International Gibbon Day," expressing regret that "gibbons, which are primates, are facing extinction."

He added, "I wonder which animal will be next after the gibbon, and where humanity stands in the order," emphasizing that "it is time to raise awareness about overcoming the climate crisis and protecting the environment."

Earlier, Lee had announced plans to increase the reduction target for greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) from the previous 35% to 40%, and to advance the carbon neutrality target year from 2050 to 2040, moving it forward by 10 years, in order to prevent a climate change catastrophe.

Global climate change has recently become the world's biggest issue. Due to carbon dioxide, the Earth's climate change is worsening, causing phenomena such as El Ni?o and La Ni?a, as well as abnormal weather events like heavy rain and cold waves occurring frequently in various countries. Experts advise that the only way to prevent this is to reduce carbon dioxide, the main culprit of greenhouse gases.

Currently, industries that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases include steel, cement, petrochemicals, aluminum, fertilizers, electricity (power), livestock, wildfires, and LNG (liquefied natural gas).

Meanwhile, as countries around the world promote carbon neutrality policies, interest in nuclear power is also increasing. France, Japan, and the United Kingdom have recently declared expansions of nuclear power. This is based on the judgment that renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro alone cannot secure all the necessary energy.