Sustainability - Issue 4

SUSTAINABILITY VOL. 04 | OCTOBER 2020 NLCS JEJU ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SOCIETY

CONTENTS 02 OCTOBER ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR #SUSTAINABILITY 03 SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW MARKET DIFFERENTIATOR 05 WHAT VICTORIAN-ERA SEAWEED PRESSINGS REVEAL ABOUT OUR CHANGING SEAS 07 BIODIVERSITY LOSS 09 POLLUTED TREES KILL EARTH 11 CALIFORNIAN WILDFIRES 13 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

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OCTOBER ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR

October 4 World Animal Day : an international day of action for animal rights and welfare October 5 World Habitat Day : a day recognized by the United Nations to reflect on the state of towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter Theme for 2020: Housing For All — A Better Urban Future October 14 International E-Waste Day : an international day to encourage consumers to correctly dispose their e-waste October 24 International Day for Climate Action : world's most widespread day of political action for climate change 02

SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW MARKET DIFFERENTIATOR JANICE YOO According to researchers, multinational corporations (MNCs) account for nearly a fifth of global CO2 emissions. They say that the global supply chains of MNCs such as Coca-Cola, Walmart, and BP have detrimental impacts on our environment. Experts stated that for many large companies, emissions from their supply chains were larger than the emissions of many countries. For example, emissions from the supply chain of producing Coca-Cola products were equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in China’s food sector to feed 1.3 billion people. Foreign affiliates of Walmart emitted more carbon dioxide than Germany’s retail sector. Samsung’s carbon emissions around the world were higher than all electronic manufacturers in India. Likewise, the carbon footprints of MNCs have massive environmental impacts.

One of the experts pointed out that such MNCs have a blind spot in judging the environmental impact of their suppliers’ operations, adding to corporate risks linked to climate change. According to the report by non-profit consultancies CDP and BSR, only 49 percent of almost 8000 suppliers in Dell, Unilever and Walmart responded when asked about their environmental footprint, which conveys their ignorance on the environment. Experts claimed that it is difficult for MNCs to gain environmental information about their supply chains since they operate on a large scale.

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Fig. 1. Vending machines selling a variety of drinks in Tokyo, Japan. Multinational companies like Coca-Cola are increasingly committed to cut the carbon footprints of their products, which it says two-thirds of it come from suppliers, such as packaging, agricultural ingredients, coolers and vending machines.

However, the trend is changing for MNCs. As the Millennials and Gen-Z are more conscious about environment than the previous generations, consumers these days prefer and seek sustainable products and brands. Recent research suggests that 77 percent of consumers are more willing to purchase from a company with corporate social responsibility (CSR) pledge. Therefore, leading global companies are using sustainability as a market differentiator. Apple, Dell, Amazon, Google, and other large tech companies have made pledges to reduce their carbon footprint and improve other sustainability initiatives.

Last month, Amazon launched a $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund aimed at investing companies that build products, services, and technology to decarbonize the Earth. Apple also committed to being 100 percent carbon neutral in its entire business including the supply chain and product life cycle by 2030.

As such, when a market is saturated with products, companies choose to appeal their social corporate responsibility to customers and increase their competitiveness by differentiating themselves from other companies. Knowing that Amazon, arguably the largest company in the world, is making such a bold pledge and encouraging other companies to follow the suit puts them in a positive position in consumers’ minds. As consumers are loyal to brands that truly care about the things they care about, environmental issues and efforts towards sustainability are indeed acting as one of the marketing strategies of MNCs. Thus, not only MNCs but also other companies should work towards heightening their sustainability and increase awareness of the environmental impact of their supply chains. If such trend continues in the market, there will be a notable reduction of carbon emissions as well as overall negative environmental impacts from companies. Therefore, we, as consumers should aspire to purchase products that are environmentally friendly and contribute to the circular economy.

Bibliography Frazin, R. (2020). Carbon dioxide emissions may not surpass 2019 levels until 2027: analysis. [online] TheHill.

Available at: https://thehill.com/policy/energyenvironment/520776-carbon-dioxide-emissionsmay-not-surpass-2019-levels-until-2027 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2020].

Eco-Business (n.d.). Companies have environmental “blind spot� in supply chains: study. [online] Eco-Business.

Available at: https://www.ecobusiness.com/news/companies-haveenvironmental-blind-spot-in-supply-chainsstudy/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2020].

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WHAT VICTORIAN-ERA SEAWEED PRESSINGS REVEAL ABOUT OUR CHANGING SEAS MINSEO CHA On his first day as the new science director for the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California in 2016, Kyle Van Houtan was drawn to a giant blue storage locker. The locker looked as if no one had opened it for years and was obscured by a dead ficus plant, but the label on it intrigued him: Herbarium.When he opened it he found hundreds of stacked manila envelopes, each one containing a single piece of seaweed, pressed and preserved on white paper. The collection was in great detail, with neat labels in tidy handwriting that documented every seaweed’s origin and collector. This gave Van Houtan and his colleague Emily Miller an idea.

Fig. 1. Varieties of pressed seaweed photographed by the Natural History Museum

Although the recent hi-tech underwater drones and sensors that monitor the ocean today can document the present and hint at the future, they have a blind spot when it comes to explaining the past. Modern record-keeping for ocean conditions began about 80 years ago, which is too short to allow making an informed assessment of what a healthy ocean is.

Hence, they thought, if people were pressing seaweed even earlier than 80 years ago, could it be a way to travel back in time and read the history of the sea?

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The seaweed in the Monterey locker that stood out to Emily Miller was gelidium. Like all seaweed, gelidium requires nitrogen to grown, and Miller began tracing nitrogen samples back through the decades to see how it had changed over time.

Fig. 2. A 19th century cartoon by John Leech depicting British enthusiasm for natural history

Seaweed pressing was a common pastime for women in the 18th century. Both Queen Victoria and George Eliot pressed seaweed in their day.

People spent a lot of time pressing seaweed, taking tweezers and separating out each branch.

Miller, who later took over the study from Van Houtan commented, “They look like lace spread across the paper."

Fig. 3. Pressed gelidium

By the 1870s, the fad had arrived on the California coastline, transplanted by early American settlers. California, though unexpected, was a paradise for seaweeders as it had kelp forests and was home to nearly 800 other species.

The seaweed specimens only dated back to the 1980s, however, so Miller contacted institutions up and down the California coast, asking if they had any older seaweed collections. Kathy Ann Miller of the University Herbarium was one of those who responded: she donated tissue from eight gelidium specimens, the oldest 142 years old.

After a series of plant analysis, the Ocean Memory Lab team discovered that the fluctuating nitrogen isotopes in the gelidium aligned with a historical cycle of upwelling in California. Miller realised that, if scientists knew earlier that the cycle of upwelling currents could be measured by seaweed, they might have averted some of the great fishery collapses, including Monterey’s great sardine crash of the 1940s. While the original thinking was that overfishing caused the sardine crash, now they know that it was overfishing in combination with environmental factors and the Pacific Ocean experience. Miller said, “Seaweeds, which we think of as fragile and gooey, actually hold that history, not in their DNA, but in their tissues.”

Their study was published in June this year and extended the record of Californian currents by a remarkable seven decades, back to the 1870s.

Van Houtan explained that their investigation is a step forward in the process of using preserved marine creatures to read the history of the ocean, something that can’t be done with a sensor or sampling equipment.

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BIODIVERSITY LOSS

Fig. 1. Deforestation of agriculture in Madagascar

MINSEO EMILY KANG Biodiversity is defined as a variety of life on Earth in all its forms. It comprises the number of species, their genetic variation, and the interaction of these life forms within the complex ecosystems. It underpins life on Earth and refers to the variety found in biota from genetic makeup of plants and animals to cultural diversity.In a UN report published in 2019, scientists warned that one million species are threatened with extinction, many within decades. Some researchers even considered that we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction event in Earth’s history.

Earlier known mass extinctions wiped out between 60% and 95% of all species, and it takes millions of years for ecosystems to recover from such an event.

Biodiversity provides numerous ecosystem services that are crucial to human well-being at present and in the future. Specifically, it provides us with clean air, fresh water, good quality soil, and crop pollination. It helps us fight climate change and adapt to it as well, and reduce the impact of natural hazards.

Nevertheless, it is getting threatened by a lot of factors. Firstly, Habitat loss is the single greatest threat to biodiversity on Earth today, threatening 84% of government-listed Species at Risk in Canada. It happens because of deforestation, overpopulation, pollution, and global warming. Species which are physically large and those living in forests or oceans are more affected by habitat reduction.

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Human activities such as urban development (construction of homes, businesses, roads, and cottages), resource extraction (logging, mining, oil and gas), and agriculture (land conversion to farmland) completely eradicate areas on which species depend for food and shelter. For instance, as a result of human activities, Southern Ontario has lost over 70% of its wetlands, 98% of its grasslands, and 80% of its forests, resulting in the loss of habitat for countless species of plants and animals (Sierra Club Canada). 75% of songbirds were lost because of habitat loss in just 50years. Since living organisms interact with ecosystems, the disappearance of one species can have a profound impact on the food chain.

For this, the loss of birds means we have also lost the essential pest control services that they provide and the agents of seed dispersal.

Moreover, climate change is expected to exacerbate the risks of extinctions, floods, droughts, population declines, and disease outbreaks. Recent changes in climate, such as warm temperatures in certain regions have affected species distributions, population sizes, and the timing of reproduction or migration events, as well as the frequency of pest and disease outbreaks. As climate change becomes more severe, the harmful impacts on ecosystems are expected. By the end of the century, climate change and its impacts may become the main direct driver of overall biodiversity loss.

"Reduced biodiversity affects ecosystems at levels comparable to those of global warming and air pollution," said Henry Gholz, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research directly and through the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

Then the biologist David Hooper of Western Washington University, the lead author of the paper, added that "Some people have assumed that biodiversity effects are relatively minor compared to other environmental stressors".

"Our results show that future loss of species has the potential to reduce plant production just as much as global warming and pollution." Studies over the last two decades demonstrated that more biologically diverse ecosystems are more productive.

However, there are various kinds of ways to prevent biodiversity loss: keeping native plants around, reducing unnecessary noise and night lighting, reducing waste, up-cycling items, and recycling. Also, people can advocate for nature conservation in their municipality; For example, joining an environmental committee, volunteering to monitor wildlife, patrolling roads for turtles, or removing invasive species can help.

Bibliography Suzuki, David. “Causes, Effects and Solutions for Biodiversity Loss.” E&C, 20 May 2020. [online] Available at: environmentalconscience.com/causes-effects-solutions-forbiodiversity-loss/.

[Accessed 30 Oct. 2020].

“WHO | Biodiversity.” Who.Int, 3 Dec. 2012, [online] Available at: www.who.int/globalchange/ecosystems/biodive rsity/en/,/entity/globalchange/ecosystems/biodi versity/en/index.html.

[Accessed 30 Oct. 2020].

“Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity Loss Rival Climate Change and Pollution | NSF - National Science Foundation.” Nsf.Gov, 2012. [online] Available at: www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp? cntn_id=124016.

[Accessed 30 Oct. 2020].

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POLLUTED TREES KILL EARTH SARAH JIWOO SIM It is estimated that an average human breathes around 12,870L of air each day. Unfortunately, numerous noxious chemicals as well as harmful particles can be included in the air we breathe in.

Air pollution is hazardous to human health and it causes an enormous concern today. However, not only the human lungs, but also the lungs of our planet, “trees� are suffocating. The suffocated trees in return, suffocate the Earth.

Pollution has long been identified as harmful to trees. Today, trees are being affected in both the urban and rural areas. Trees help cleanse the air by reducing levels of carbon dioxide and removing pollutants, while releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. Air pollution directly injures trees by damaging living tissue, primarily foliage, and impairs photosynthesis and the ability to respirate.

For instance, the forest trees showed changes with the chlorophyll content, which negatively affected their photosynthesis. Also, most of the trees exposed in severe air pollution areas were covered with the micro-dusts and other toxic particles, which may cause stomatal occlusion, thus leading to reduced photosynthesis and transpiration.

In other words, the width and density of the stomata were lower on leaves from the urban than on those from the rural site. Negative effects of air pollutants on stomatal densities and opening have also been found in other species growing in polluted areas. The reduction in stomatal densities and their pore size may be detrimental for absorption of pollutants, but will also limit photosynthesis at the same time.

Reduced photosynthesis may result in the reduction of oxygen and the increase of carbon dioxide in the air. With more greenhouse gases and less oxygen, the air will become harder to breathe and the sequencing global environmental problems will grow.

In the process of transpiration, the pores in the leaves are opened and moisture is released when absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

It is another critical role plants serve for our planet. The moisture plants release through transpiration plays an important role in controlling the land temperature.

Fig. 1. Left: properly functioning stomata, Right: occluded stomata due to air pollution 09

When carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere because of pollution, plants can absorb enough carbon dioxide even if they open the pores a little, so they open fewer pores and give less amount of water vapor accordingly.

When the amount of moisture in the atmosphere decreases due to reduced transpiration of plants, land temperature rises more easily.

If the trees reduce the density of stomata on the leaves, the act of transpiration and moisturising the soil will gradually get weaker. This means that the climate will rise easily, causing more harm to earth. In ever-green forests, regions in Canada and Siberia, the climate exponentially raised as a result of the melting of Arctic ice. The dilemma is that as the temperature rises, the stomata will reduce more of its number, like a vicious cycle.

Moreover, globally, vigorous forest fires can start easily and burn out our land devastatingly as a chain reaction.

In conclusion, the severe condition of the air pollution leads to lower stomatal densities and pore widths, and causes the impaired photosynthesis and transpiration of trees.

The enormous environmental cost the damaged plants impose on humans and on the Earth is soaring. Decreased plant’s basic functions can end up with temperature rise and more frequent devastating wildfires. The dismal urban environment is damaging not only our lungs but the plants’ and threatening our existence. Instead of simply expecting trees of indefinite free service of air filtration for us, it is time for us to start thinking about their own survival and thus our own.

Fig. 2. A firefighter extinguishing Canadian wildfires (2020), caused by climate change Bibliography Impacts of Air Pollution on the Urban Forest. (n.d.). [online] Available at: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/ Documents/SP657.pdf.

[Accessed 29 Oct. 2020].

News, M.R.| and January 8th 2020, P.| (2020).

Experts say wildfire risk in Canada higher due to climate change. [online] National Observer.

Available at: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/01/0 8/news/experts-say-wildfire-risk-canadahigher-due-climate-change [Accessed 29 Oct. 2020].

Pourkhabbaz, A., Rastin, N., Olbrich, A., Langenfeld-Heyser, R. and Polle, A. (2010).

Influence of Environmental Pollution on Leaf Properties of Urban Plane Trees, Platanus orientalis L. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, [online] 85(3), pp.251–255.

Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PM C2929435/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2020].

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CALIFORNIAN WILDFIRES JODIE CHEN LELAND HIGH SCHOOL In the recent months California has suffered from the worst fire season since records have been kept, with a staggering 4 million acres burned so far. CalFire released that this is the first time where the amount of land burned has surpassed 2 million acres. CalFire has also released that “the state has seen more than 8,200 fires this year, with 31 fatalities and more than 8,454 structures destroyed”(Davis, 2020). These raging fires have many repercussions on our environment.

Fig. 1. 2020 wildfire season in California Wildfires in late summer/early fall are a common occurrence for local Californians. The dry air, high temperature, and vegetation make California's climate perfect for wildfires. As someone who grew up in the Golden State, hearing about wildfires is the same as people hearing about tropical rainstorms in Singapore; it is almost expected. If truth be told it would be more shocking to hear that there were no wildfires during the dry season.

In September, the sky for many Californias had turned into a crimson shade of red due to the smoke from wildfires. Many had compared the sight to Mars and the famous movie, Blade Runner due to the hazy orangy red sky. The reason for the weird sight was that, “ Smoke particles allow sunlight's longer wavelength colours - such as red and orange - to filter through but block shorter wavelength colours of yellow, blue and green, according to NASA”(Boyle, 2020). This thick layer of smoke had prevented people from going outside due to the toxic index levels of the air quality. The smoke carries many toxins and ash with it as well, releasing excessive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The ash that carried for miles is composed of everything that burned which makes it unsafe for humans and animals.

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In nature there is a need for fires to clear away the dead vegetation and replenishes the soil’s fertility. The fire can help with seed germination and National Geographic states, “Several plants actually require fire to move along their life cycles. For example, seeds from many pine tree species are enclosed in pine cones that are covered in pitch, which must be melted by fire for the seeds to be release”(Society, 2020). Fires exist in nature and are sometimes used as a farming technique.

Bibliography Davis, W. (2020). California Wildfires Have Burned 4 Million Acres And The Season Isn’t Over Yet. [online] NPR.org.

Available at: https://www.npr.org/2020/10/04/920154138/c alifornia-wildfires-have- burned-4-millionsacres-and-the-season-isnt-overyet#:~:text=Weather[Accessed 8 Oct. 2020].

Boyle, L. (2020). Why did the sky turn to orange and red during wildfires? [online] The Independent.

Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/infact/wildfireorange-glow-sky-san-francisco- californiab421718.html [Accessed 8 Oct. 2020].

Fig. 2. The red sky in California in September For example, seeds from many pine tree species are enclosed in pine cones that are covered in pitch, which must be melted by fire for the seeds to be release”(Society, 2020). Fires exist in nature and are sometimes used as a farming technique.

We can see that fires are good for the natural environment, however too much of anything is not good. For example, the wildfires during California’s fire season are way too large and out of control. It leaves our environment with terrible air pollution which makes the air dangerous for us and our pets. You can help reduce wildfires by clearing away dead vegetation and make sure to report any fires you see.

Society, N.G. (2020). The Ecological Benefits of Fire. [online] National Geographic Society.

Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/ecol ogical-benefits-fire/#:~:text=Controlled%2 use%20of%20wildland%20fires [Accessed 8 Oct. 2020].

IF TRUTH BE TOLD IT WOULD BE MORE SHOCKING TO HEAR THAT THERE WERE NO WILDFIRES DURING THE DRY SEASON. 12

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS On 14th October , Environmental Studies Society celebrated International E-Waste Day - with more than 100 organisations from 48 countries worldwide.

International E-Waste Day is used to raise the public profile of e-waste recycling and encourage consumers to recycle their e-waste. It was developed in 2018 by the WEEE Forum, world's largest multi-national centre for concerning the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

E-Waste Collection & Donation Poster

E-Waste refers to electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life". They include computers, phones, chargers, watches, remote controls, and batteries. Improper handling of e-waste results in a huge loss of valuable and critical raw materials from the supply chain and causes serious health, environmental and societal issues through illegal shipments.

A record 53.6 million metric tonnes of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21 per cent in just five years, according to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020. Unfortunately, only 17.4 per cent of 2019’s e-waste was collected and recycled.

We held E-Waste collection around the school from 14th to 17th October. Collected items are now ready to be handed in to Korea Electronics Recycling Cooperative.

E-Waste Collection Box

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CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Minseo Cha WRITERS Janice Seung Min Yoo Minseo Cha Emily Minseo Kang Sarah Jiwoo Sim Jodie Chen DESIGNER Minseo Cha

CONTACTS If you would like your environment-themed article/artwork/photograph to be shared via Sustainability, please contact the chairs: Minseo Cha mscha22@pupils.nlcsjeju.kr Janice Seungmin Yoo smyoo22@pupils.nlcsjeju.kr