The 5th Global Youth Environmental Essay Competition 2021

In April 2020, the world-famous British news economy weekly <The Economist> emphasized the threat of climate change through its editorial cartoon. It suggested that the COVID-19 is just a foretaste of a bigger threat that is waiting for humanity, the climate change. Earlier this year, the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) also warned of the “Green Swan” in its report, which is a term that refers to climate change bringing financial crisis. Through reputable organizations, we were once again able to realize that climate change is a strong force that can disrupt and even destroy our economy.

In 2021, the ‘Paris Climate Change Convention’ which is a new climate change regime will be launched. In the case of the Paris Climate Change Convention, it is appraised as the very first global climate agreement, in that all 195 member countries have agreed to participate in the reduction of greenhouse gases. The main goal of the Paris Climate Change Convention is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by preventing indiscriminate use of fossil fuel, so that the goal of global warming suppression can be maintained within 2℃ to 1.5℃ compared to the pre-Industrial Revolution level. South Korea has also set its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 37% compared to the emission forecast (BAU) by the year 2030. Accordingly, officials from various fields predict great changes to the industry trends of the whole world including Korea. Through this, it can be inferred that the economic and industrial structures we have experienced so far will significantly change, and therefore our youths will face considerably different structures in the future.

In light of this, Korea Educational Association for Empowerment of Software has chosen “Climate Change and Economy” as the topic of “The 5th Global Youth Environmental Essay Competition 2021”. Through this competition, we are hoping to provide a special opportunity for teenagers, who will become the leading players in the future, to seriously consider and explore the effects of climate change on future economic and industrial structure, social ramifications, roles of all walks of life as well as coping measures.

â—‹ Hosted and Organized by : Korea Educational Association for Empowerment of Software

â—‹ Operated by : HOBY Korea

â—‹Supported by : Korea’s Ministry of Environment, Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Gyeonggi-do Provinvial Government, Daegu Metropolitan City Government, Seoul Metropolitan Council, Gyeonggi-do Assembly, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Gyeonggido Office of Education, Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, Gyeongnam Provincial Office of Education, Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education, Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, Gyeongsangnamdo Office of Education, Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education, Gangwon Provincial Office of Education, Paju Offece of Education in Gyeonggi-do, Korea Environmental Corporation, Friends of the Earth in the Republic of Korea - Korean Federation For Environmental Movement, and more

â—‹ Entry Fee : No entry fee

â—‹ Eligibilities : Open to middle and high school students from any country (Grades between 7th and 12th or equivalent on May 31, 2021)

â—‹ Deadline : May 31, 2021, 23:19 (Korea Standard Time)   

â—‹ Announcement of Winners : June 28, 2021    

â—‹ Awards Ceremony : The ceremony is not scheduled due to COVID-19.

â—‹ Essay Topic : Climate Change and Economy

                          - Any ideas related to the topic

â—‹ Languages:  English or Korean (Choose one)

â—‹ Word limit:  Your essay must be shorter than 800 words in English or 2,000 characters or less in Korean (excluding title, footnotes, bibliography or references)

â—‹ Awards: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, The Minister of Environment of the Republic of Korea, The Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Song Young-gil, National Assembly Member Lee Nak-yon, Los Angeles (LA) City Council Monica Rodriguez, Mayor of Seoul Metropolitan City, Governor of Gyeonggi-do Province, Mayor of Daegu City, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council,  and more.