[Inside Chodong] Patagonia Founder Who Took Action, Unresponsive Developed Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Patagonia is a plateau region stretching widely across the southernmost part of the South American continent, covering Chile and Argentina. It features a breathtaking landscape with a mix of high mountains, deserts, grasslands, and glaciers. Patagonia National Park is also featured in the documentary "Our Great National Parks," which earned former U.S. President Barack Obama an Emmy Award. Geographically, Patagonia is the southernmost region excluding Antarctica and some islands, often called the "End of the World." It is a place that is difficult for humans to access.

Patagonia is also the name of a U.S. outdoor brand. The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, is well known as an environmentalist who loves rock climbing. Born in Lisbon, Maine, at the far northeastern tip of the U.S., which Americans consider a rural backwater, he grew up enjoying fishing and rock climbing more than studying. The mysterious natural beauty of Patagonia eloquently reflects Chouinard’s management philosophy of living in harmony with nature.

Chouinard has always emphasized that he runs his business not to make money but to raise awareness about environmental crises and implement solutions.

In 2005, Chouinard published a book titled "Let My People Go Surfing." It is a corporate management guide that contains Chouinard’s life philosophy of adapting to nature. The book was translated and published in Korea under the title "Patagonia, Surf When the Waves Come."

He also has ties to Korea through his service in the U.S. military stationed there, and in his book, he wrote about frequently climbing the smooth granite peaks north of Seoul during his military service. The granite peak he mentioned is Insubong of Bukhansan. Insubong, which can only be climbed by rock climbing, has climbing routes pioneered by Chouinard.

Yvon Chouinard [Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

On the 14th, U.S. ABC News reported that a mountain glacier collapsed in a national park in Patagonia due to abnormal high temperatures. The broadcast showed footage of the glacier collapsing down a canyon like a waterfall and introduced the collapsed glacier as being 200 meters in size.

Coincidentally, on the same day, Chouinard revealed in an interview with The New York Times (NYT) that he transferred 100% of the Patagonia shares owned by himself, his wife, and their two children to a nonprofit foundation and trust established to address climate change. The shares transferred by the Chouinard family are worth about $3 billion (approximately 4.275 trillion KRW). This decision reflects Chouinard’s life philosophy of prioritizing the health of the planet over corporate profits.

The glacier collapse in Patagonia is a warning about the dangers of climate change caused by humans. This year, a series of abnormal weather events have heightened awareness of climate change. In Europe, unprecedented heatwaves caused thousands of deaths, and Pakistan saw one-third of its territory submerged due to continuous heavy rains since mid-June. On the 24th, the Prime Minister of Pakistan stated in a UN General Assembly speech that innocent Pakistan is suffering due to greenhouse gases emitted by wealthy countries and argued that developed countries should compensate developing countries for climate change damages.

In fact, developed countries declared at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen that they would establish a climate change response fund of $100 billion annually by 2020. That promise has yet to be fulfilled.

In a situation where abnormal weather is rapidly increasing, Chouinard’s donation resonates deeply. Patagonia donates 1% of its annual net sales to environmental organizations under the name "1% for the Planet." If developed countries had fulfilled their promises at the Copenhagen conference, the current situation where Russia is struggling due to gas issues might not have occurred.