Reflection

In 2007, the year I was born, South Korea’s worst oil spill occurred near the shore of Taean Peninsula. Despite the efforts of more than 1 million Korean volunteers to aid in the cleanup process, the coast of Taean Peninsula still has not recovered fully from the disaster even after 17 years. The increasing use of fossil fuels has damaged our atmosphere and left permanent stains on our ocean through oil spills and waste. Taean Peninsula Oil Spill has destroyed the habitat of migratory birds and local people while destroying South Korea’s Natural Treasure of Sinduri Dune. If we reduced fossil fuel consumption and were more careful of their transportation, such a disaster would not have occurred. It was later revealed that the greed of the manufacturers to carry more oil than the recommended capacity and their decision to force through the rough weather were the reasons for this disaster. Yet still, the 17 years of effort of the Korean people have made a miraculous recovery of Taean. More than a million people, half of whom were ordinary citizens, lent their hand in the cleanup of the Taean oil spill. This has drastically accelerated the cleanup process, minimizing the collateral damage caused by the oil spill. However, this time, we must act early. We should all consider our future generation and reduce the use of fossil fuels and waste production. More importantly, we should collectively present our desire for a sustainable future to our politicians to force a change. Our collective altruism is the only way that will save not only our lives but also those of our future generation. The painting "Black Tide Hero" is an artwork that was motivated by the Taean Peninsula cleanup. I wanted to show that the million volunteers of Taean are our heroes. More importantly, however, I wanted to express that the climate crisis we face now can only be solved through our collective altruism.