On June 1, ASEZ held the “ASEZ ABC Movement Seminar” at Songwon Hall of Changwon National University, located in Uichang District, Changwon Special City. The event was organized to help university students—the leaders of future generations—understand the climate crisis and the importance of blue carbon ecosystems, and to encourage them to participate in efforts toward carbon neutrality and ecosystem restoration.
ABC Movement stands for “ASEZ Blue Carbon Movement,” an environmental initiative led by ASEZ to raise awareness of the value of blue carbon—carbon absorbed and stored by marine and coastal ecosystems—and to protect these vital ecosystems. The movement aims to connect everyday action with carbon neutrality and ecosystem restoration by encouraging university students to reduce plastic pollution on campuses and in local communities and to take part in blue carbon conservation activities.
Approximately 70 ASEZ members and invited students attended the event from Changwon National University, Changshin University, Korea Polytechnic College Changwon Campus, Changwon Moonsung University, Kyungnam University, and Masan University. Young people from several universities gathered in one place, mainly from the Uichang area of Changwon, to explore ways to begin taking action against the climate crisis in their local communities.
Before the seminar, participants viewed a panel exhibition titled “From Campus to Blue Carbon,” which illustrated how plastic used and discarded on university campuses can affect rivers and marine ecosystems. They then wrote and shared personal pledges on sticky notes describing actions they would take to protect blue carbon ecosystems. Participants also took part in the “Survey on Plastic Use and Infrastructure on University Campuses,” reflecting on the environment surrounding plastic use on their own campuses.
The main event began with an introductory video about ASEZ. Participants learned about the activities carried out by university students around the world to protect the environment and address community issues, while sharing an understanding of the important role of young people and international solidarity in responding to the climate crisis.
The seminar, titled “ASEZ BLUE CARBON, ABC Movement,” introduced the way blue carbon ecosystems—such as mangrove forests, salt marshes, and seagrass beds—contribute to climate action by absorbing and storing carbon. It also explained how plastic waste generated on land could travel through drainage systems and rivers into the ocean, affecting marine ecosystems and blue carbon habitats. The seminar therefore emphasized the need to begin reducing plastic use on university campuses.
As the international community increasingly recognizes climate action and marine ecosystem restoration as key priorities for a sustainable future, participants came to view environmental issues not as challenges limited to a particular region or institution, but as shared concerns that university students must work together to address. In particular, they agreed that young people should take direct action through their campuses and local communities in step with global efforts to protect the environment.
Kim Da-eun, a student who attended the event, said, “I was impressed by ASEZ activities, in which university students around the world take action together with a shared purpose. From now on, I will begin taking steps toward carbon neutrality, starting with the campus where I spend most of my daily life.”
Another participant, Kang Su-ah, said, “The seminar made me reflect again on how the balance of nature is being disrupted by reckless human activities. Now that I understand the importance of carbon neutrality and blue carbon conservation, I believe that we can create change by beginning with the smallest and most immediate action—reducing plastic use in our daily lives.”
The seminar provided university students in the Uichang area of Changwon with an opportunity to understand the value of blue carbon and the need to protect marine ecosystems. It also encouraged them to begin taking action on their campuses and in their communities in line with the international community’s climate response efforts. Building on this event, ASEZ members plan to continue carrying out activities to reduce plastic use and protect blue carbon ecosystems.
