Human Environment Interaction
Trying To Make Seoul Greener
Citizens living in Seoul have taken drastic steps to try to reduce the amount of pollution they create and to curb their reliance on fossil fuels. When they found out Korea was ranked 136th out of 146 countries in the 2002 Environmental Sustainability Index, and 120th out of 122 countries for air quality, the South Korean government and major stakeholders recognized that air quality needed major attention. Citizens are now trying to help their environment and are aiming to make Seoul one of the greenest cities in the world.
This is a video of how South Korean environmentalists marked Earth Day in Seoul in 2011.
The Cheonggyecheon River
By 1970 the area along the Cheonggyecheon River had turned into slums and the water was very polluted. The river was later concreted over. As cars took over the city, the river bed was turned into a road, and then an elevated six-lane motorway was built above it. It was one of the most comprehensive obliterations of the natural environment ever perpetrated.