Preparatory Issue 3 November 2021
“Agenda Keeping” The Climate Crisis Jeongeun Hwang (ISC General Secretary) The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, started on Oct. 31 and ended on Nov. 13. For about two weeks, countries gathered and discussed how to keep the Earth's temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. In the days leading up to and during the COP26, media headlines covered how and by how much we should reduce carbon emissions. Today, just a few weeks later, despite global warming continuing unabated, it’s hard to find any media coverage on the climate crisis. Why can’t we “keep” the climate crisis agenda? Being inside and outside of the COP26 conference hall in Glasgow from Nov. 5 to 10, I felt the "temperature difference" between those losing their homes due to the climate crisis and those who discussed climate change as simply one of many risks to their profits. The problem was that the decisions and agenda were made and set by the latter while the impacts were felt by the former.
“We Are Chun Tae-il!” - South Korean Workers Struggle Continues Steven Lee (Translation Team) It is a cloudy afternoon on November 13. A young man steps out into the streets of Seoul, holding a copy of the south Korean labor laws. Gasoline fire consumes his body with every step. With labor movements suffocated by the regime, this is his last declaration against inhuman exploitation. “We are not machines,” he cries through the flames. “Do not let my death be in vain!” His name is Chun Tae-il. Fifty one years later, it is once again a cloudy afternoon on November 13. Shrill sound of whistles pierce the air. The police have already cordoned off the site of Chun’s immolation to prevent the workers from paying their respect. Roadblocks close off streets, subway stations and public spaces are shut down. Even so, ten thousand workers from around the country are gathered in the Workers Rally to honor Chun’s legacy.
The Case for the Green New Deal: Summary and Reflection of Key Points Song Dae-Han (Economic Policy Team) As the world braces to deal with global warming, there is much focus on Green New Deals that can stimulate the economy, provide good paying jobs, and transition our economies away from fossil-fuel intensive production and towards sustainable production. Economist, activist, and co-founder of the Jubilee 2000 campaign (to forgive Third World Debt) Ann Pettifor describes how a Green New Deal might be funded by government financing and how it must radically transform our economies to be sustainable and equitable. This information deck summarizes her key ideas as well as critically evaluating them.
Student strike enters second week at Columbia University From: People’s Dispatch Over 3,000 Columbia graduate student workers have been on strike since Nov. 3. This is the latest in a series of actions by graduate student workers in universities across the US, many of which are extremely wealthy. Thousands of Columbia graduate student workers are into their second week on strike demanding fair pay and healthcare benefits. The Student Workers of Columbia has been negotiating a contract with the university for more than four years now.
[November Progressive Forum] On Sept. 26, a referendum was held in Berlin on whether to confiscate housing from private companies with 3,000+ housing units. This would result in the confiscation of 240,000 housing units (15% of Berlin's total housing) from the 12 largest corporations, with Deutsche Wohnen the largest. This is good news for Berliners, where 84% of citizens are tenants, and rents have nearly doubled since 2009. To achieve this referendum victory, the Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co. movement gathered 343,000 signatures to get the referendum on the ballot and then passed it by winning a majority of votes. On Nov. 6, co-hosted by the Yongsan Citizens’ Alliance, Solidarity for Housing Rights, and The South Korean Network for Housing Rights, the ISC Progressive Forum invited Volkan Sayman, an Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen activist and researcher at the Technical University of Berlin, to talk about the social and historical context and organizing that made the victory possible, their vision for social housing, and their future struggles.
DSA International Committee Virtual Movie Night
On Sept. 19th, 10 am - 12 pm Seoul time, Dae-Han Song (ISC Progressive Forum, Economic Policy Team) and Zoe Yungmi Blank (ISC Progressive Forum) joined the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) first monthly online movie showing. The other guests included Juyeon Rhee and Haruki Eda of New York based Nodutdol. After watching the hour long documentary “Until Daybreak,” which included historical footage of South Korea’s democratization movement, we had presentations on our organizations’ works and on Korea today, followed by an audience Q&A.
We invite you to the ISC End of the Year Party!
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