Ten years have passed since Pope Francis issued his encyclical Laudato Si', yet the Korean Church's progress toward carbon neutrality remains sluggish. Calls are growing for the Church, and indeed every individual believer, to actively respond to the global climate crisis. The Korean Church began its seven-year journey with 'Laudato Si' in 2021, continuing its efforts to overcome the climate crisis. Dioceses like Suwon and Daejeon, in particular, have raised the banner of carbon neutrality, declaring their intent to transition all electricity usage to renewable energy by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.
On July 9, Pope Leo XIII held a Mass for the protection of creation at the 'Laudato Si' school in Castel Gandolfo. In May, marking the 10th anniversary of the issuance of 'Laudato Si', the Vatican established a solar power plant on the site of the former Santa Maria di Galeria antenna facility, hoping to achieve 100% energy self-sufficiency from renewable sources.
Voices advocating for an active response to the global climate crisis are growing, both within the church itself and among individual believers. It has been ten years since Pope Francis' encyclical 'Laudato Si', which emphasized 'ecological conversion', yet the Korean church's progress towards carbon neutrality remains slow.
In particular, dioceses such as Suwon and Daejeon have declared plans to convert all energy usage to renewable sources by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. The director of the Korean Climate and Environment Institute and chair professor at Sejong University, stated, 'Interest in carbon neutrality has increased compared to before the issuance of 'Laudato Si', but overall, it is slow.
In the largest archdiocese in the Korean church, the Seoul Archdiocese, there are 17 churches equipped with solar energy facilities. Even if we include institutions and religious orders, the total is barely over 30. Considering that it is the archdiocese with the most parishioners among the 232 parishes, this number is insignificant. The Suwon Archdiocese, which first announced its carbon neutrality plan, has installed 42 solar energy systems, more than Seoul, but the total capacity is only 7% of its target capacity. One of the reasons solar energy has not spread rapidly is due to the limitations of urban areas. The chairman of the Environmental Pastoral Committee of the Seoul Archdiocese, said, "Many parishes in the archdiocese do not have large sites compared to other dioceses, and since the buildings are old, they feel burdened when it comes to installing solar energy systems.
"On the other hand, the Daejeon Archdiocese is achieving results. The archdiocese has installed a total of 91 systems, including 40 commercial and 51 private ones. The archdiocese operates a certification system for carbon-neutral parishes, encouraging the reduction of greenhouse gases and the use of renewable energy at the parish level. The success of these results can be attributed not only to the will of the archdiocese level but also significantly to the role of the Diocesan Solar Power Cooperative. The cooperative, which operates with contributions from parishes, groups, and individual believers, rents out idle spaces from parishes and facilities within the archdiocese to install commercial solar power plants. Rural parishes provide large sites, while urban parishes and believers can contribute funds to install solar power plants together.
The chairman of the Solar Power Cooperative stated, "In the first three years, there were few results, and management was not easy, but with the will of the bishop, the participation of believers, and changes from above and below merging together, we are gaining momentum in our activities. The secretary of the Episcopal Council's Ecological Environment Committee, said, "The Korean church gives the impression that not only the believers but also the leaders of dioceses and religious orders are unable to accept the global climate crisis and the Korean Church seems unable to adopt the ongoing global climate crisis and the practice of carbon neutrality as our own, not just among the faithful but also among the heads and members of dioceses and religious orders." He suggested, "It is essential for every evangelization department to reflect on how to apply the spirit of 'Laudato Si' in each pastoral area, and the budgeting that enables this movement is crucial."
