Inequality is a Disaster
Inequality is a Disaster
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  • 승인 2022.09.14 20:05
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▲Roads and sidewalks are flooded by heavy rain / Yonhap News Agency
▲Roads and sidewalks are flooded by heavy rain / Yonhap News Agency

This summer, Korea experienced setbacks due to heavy rain. On Aug. 8, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, a daily precipitation of 381.5mm was recorded . This is the highest record in 115 years since Seoul began its first modern weather observation system in 1907. This record-breaking rainfall caused many casualties, including a death in isolation under a semi-basement apartment and a disappearance in a manhole. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of Aug. 15, 14 people died, 6 went missing, and 2,280 became homeless. Yet, this was not the only damage caused by extreme weather.
European countries are suffering greatly from the biggest drought in 500 years. The British newspaper The Guardian reported that major European rivers, including Germany’s Rhine River, dried up. Thus, major sectors such as transport and the economy suffered greatly. Hydroelectric energy production also declined, causing Europe to suffer from energy shortages. In response, the UK advised citizens not to wash their hair every day, and Spain passed a bill limiting the air conditioner temperature to 27℃. Experts point to climate change as the biggest cause of this extreme weather.
As this extreme weather continues, socially disadvantaged individuals suffer even more. According to the “The Climate Crisis is A Child Rights Crisis” report published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2.2 billion children around the world are already exposed to at least one climate crisis among heat waves, typhoons, air pollution, floods, and droughts. One billion children, or about half, face an extremely severe climate crisis, and one in three (850 million) children suffer from more than four climate crises.
UNICEF calculated the Children’s Climate Crisis Index (CCRI). The carbon emissions of these countries account for only 9.38% of global emissions. The Central African Republic had the highest CCRI among 163 countries with 8.7 points, but only 0.001% of global carbon emissions. On the other hand, the CCRI ranking of the top 10 countries, which account for 70% of the world’s carbon emissions, was generally low. China (6.7 points), first place in carbon emissions, ranked 40th, and the U.S. (5.0 points), second place in carbon emissions, ranked 80th. South Korea’s CCRI, seventh place in carbon emissions in the world, ranked 72nd with 5.2 points.
“Wealthy countries are creating unprecedented environmental damage, but they are demanding economic development without environmental destruction in developing countries,” said Martina Hibell, secretary-general of the Swedish Children’s Foundation (Barnfonden). “We are supporting eco-friendly economic development in developing countries with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) created by wealthy countries, but it is not enough. Major global companies should also feel responsible for the climate change experienced by developing countries.”
In Korea, the problem of inequality has been revealed due to the heavy rain. On Aug. 8, three families, including those with developmental disabilities, died in heavy rain as they could not escape their semi-underground house filled with water. A person who was a Beneficiary of the Basic Livelihood Security Program also died in a semi-underground house in Dongjak-gu. In these cases, there is something in common: They are socially disadvantaged in many ways, such as poor housing conditions, disabilities, and income levels. In response, 177 civic groups launched a joint memorial action and held a memorial week under the slogan “Inequality is a disaster.” 
The government decided to investigate semi-underground houses and eliminate them sequentially. However, not only it is hard to eliminate semi-underground houses in a short time, but there is a lack of safe spaces for people living in semi-underground houses to move to.
The Korean People’s Solidarity Against Poverty, a group of 46 organizations, said, “The semi-underground houses are open living spaces for ordinary people in a city, but like accommodations for students, rooftop houses and vinyl greenhouses, they are dwellings that do not meet the minimum housing standards.” They criticized, “If the semi-underground houses disappear without any measures, the houses where ordinary people live will disappear.”

▲Image of a flooded semi-underground house / Kukmin Ilbo
▲Image of a flooded semi-underground house / Kukmin Ilbo