On the next level: K-pop fans join fight vs climate crisis
MANILA, Philippines — In September, members of K-pop juggernaut BTS addressed the United Nations, shining a spotlight on COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, climate change, and young people.
J-hope said that “climate change is an important problem, but talking about what the best solution might be is not an easy topic.” RM, the leader of the seven-member boy band, then talked about the growing interest of young people on taking up environmental issues.
“The future is an unexplored territory and that is where we, more than anyone, will spend our time. So these young people were searching for answers to the question of how we must live that future,” RM said at the UN headquarters in New York.
The nearly seven-minute speech inspired BTS fans, dubbed as ARMY, across the globe, including Farzana Faruk Jhumu, a 22-year-old climate activist from Bangladesh.
“When they were talking, they said we are also learning... If they’re so busy and trying to learn about it, we also need to contribute ourselves and try to learn how this climate change is more than just some problem; it’s a lot bigger than that,” Jhumu said on the sidelines of COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.
K-pop fans all over the world have shown they are a powerful force for political activism—drowning out racist hashtags on Twitter, helping disrupt former US President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Oklahoma, and even mobilizing for the 2022 national elections.
Now, these technological savvy young people are using their voice to rally for climate action.
Pushing the climate agenda
K-pop fans have planted trees in recent years to celebrate the birthdays of their idols. They also donated money to help those affected by floods and typhoons in Thailand, India, the Philippines and Indonesia, and raised funds to help people and wildlife affected by bushfires in Australia.
Xian Guevarra, a Stay (fan of group Stray Kids) and the national coordinator of the Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, said the massive social media presence of K-pop fans and their ability to get more people to stan their idols make them a force to reckon with.
YACAP is one of the groups in the Philippines that uses K-pop in campaigns. On social media, the organization advocates for climate action while also pushing the Stray Kids agenda.
The climate crisis makes us sad; but today we're happy that our lovestay boy is back ???????????? welcome home hyunjin ???? pic.twitter.com/bEyh3fIAHE
— ????????Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (@YACAPhilippines) June 25, 2021
“It was by realizing how their collective action works gave us the inspiration to use K-pop as a way to raise awareness as well. It was picked up really well by K-pop stans because even they saw that we are legitimate in our use—not just for clout but rather to support K-pop while raising awareness too,” Guevarra said.
“The more we post about it, the more support we get for climate action—even the ones that don’t necessarily use K-pop as the branding,” he added.
More sustainable K-pop
Fans are also using their voice to call for a more sustainable K-pop industry.
Jhumu and Guevarra are part of the Kpop4Planet, a global climate activist platform composed of K-pop fans.
The movement is urging entertainment companies such as SM, JYP, YG and HYBE to join the fight against climate change by reducing the use of plastic in producing albums and merchandise, and providing fans with green album purchase options such as digital download only.
It is calling on record labels to make songs about the climate crisis, and urge their artists to engage in climate action.
Ahead of COP26, K-pop sensation Blackpink released a video in October and spoke about the urgency of the climate crisis, with vocalist Rosé saying “our generation has to come together” to save the earth.
Kpop4Planet also launched a campaign demanding for environment-friendly and low-emission concerts starting next year by prohibiting single-use plastic, and using LED light systems and solar-powered stage in venues.
Samuel Cabbuag, a sociology professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said the activism of K-pop fan fans debunks the misconception that they are just “obsessive people” and “toxic.”
“It just shows that fans are not simply passive consumers who consume fan objects. They realize they have power—power not just in the words they present but also in the power of numbers that they can inform a lot of people including their fellow fans, to help in spreading awareness for a pressing issue,” he said.
No K-pop on a dead planet
In August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed that “widespread and rapid” changes in the atmosphere, ocean and land have occurred. It warned that some of the consequences of the climate crisis are irreversible for centuries to millennia.
The Kpop4Planet movement is hoping that fans will be able to enjoy their faves’ music for a longer time on a healthy planet.
“There is no K-pop on a dead planet. We have to recognize this reality because while we can enjoy our idols’ music today, we can’t say the same for the future generations,” Guevarra said.
“The earlier we realize this and work together to act on it, we can actually continue to enjoy K-pop today, tomorrow, and until future generations,” he added.
Jhumu called on her fellow K-pop stans to learn how people are suffering from the impacts of climate change and how they can help.
“We always have this huge platform of K-pop where we are all together, and that’s why we can make a change.”
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