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[학교소식] 겐트대학교 글로벌캠퍼스 한태준 총장, ‘안전한 바다, 풍요한 미래’ 주제로 글로벌 전략 포럼 개최 (Eng ver. included)
23/12/08 16:58 | 겐트대 | View 16071 | Comments 0

겐트대학교 글로벌캠퍼스 한태준 총장,
'안전한 바다, 풍요한 미래' 주제로 글로벌 전략 포럼 개최


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최근 기후변화와 해양 생물다양성 붕괴가 매우 심각하다는 주장이 지난 24일 국회에서 진행된 ‘글로벌 전략 포럼’에서 제기되었다. 현재 전세계적으로 이상기온현상이 발생하고 있고, 해양의 산소농도가 떨어지면서 어류의 미래가 불확실해졌다는 것이다. 

해양은 대기 산소의 주 공급원이며, 지열을 약 90%를 흡수하는 기능을 하는 동시에 대기 중의 약30%의 이산화탄소를 흡수한다. 또한 인류는 해양자원을 통해 생물자원, 약물 개발, 여가 요소 등 다양한 이익을 얻고 있다는 측면에서 해양을 위협하고 있는 문제는 심각하다고 볼 수 있다. 

‘안전한 바다, 풍요한 미래’라는 주제로 진행된 이번 포럼에서 논문 피인용지수 세계 상위 1%에 선정된 해양환경 및 기후 대응 분야의 세계적 석학인 콜린 얀센 벨기에 겐트대 마린유겐트연구소장은 기조연설을 통해 “바다를 위협하는 위험이 인류안보의 문제로 다가올 수 있다”며 “엄청난 양의 화학물질과 미세플라스틱이 바다로 유입되고 있는 가운데 바다를 지키기 위한 정책 마련이 필요하다”고 강조했다.

한태준 겐트대학교 총장은 발제 발표에서 “현재 방류되고 있는 후쿠시마 방류수에 대해 국제적인 컨소시엄을 만들어서 함께 모니터링을 했으면 좋겠다.”며“해조류는 전체 생태계의 가장 밑바닥을 구성하고 있는 생물로써 해조류에 문제가 생기면 결국 생태계 전체 문제가 생길 수 있다.”고 말했다. 이와 더불어 파래와 같은 생물을 가지고 환경오염을 진단하는 것이 필요하다고 주장했다. 

최용우 한국수산자원공단 실장은 “해조류가 무성히 자라야하는 자리에 석회조류가 덮혀서 하얗게 변하는 것을 갯녹음이라고 하는데, 2022년 전국 연안 암반의 약 37%정도가 갯녹음이 진행되고 있다.”며 “이를 해결하기 위해 현재 국가 주도로 대규모 바다숲 복원사업을 진행하고 있다.”고 전했다. 

김장균 인천대 교수는 패널토론에서 “국제적인 공동연구를 통해서 학계와 산업계가 함께 시너지효과를 내는 것이 중요하다”고 말했다. 또한 해조류는 미래식량으로서 고부가가치 산업을 활용하기 위해 필요하며, 주요블루카본 소스로서 활용가치가 매우 높은데 해조류 연구자들을 배출하는 대학의 수는 감소하고 있어서 이를 해결하는 것이 시급하다고 전했다.

한편 이번 포럼에서는 ‘후쿠시마 오염수 방류 이후 지속 가능한 수산자원 보호관리와 해양 혁신’이라는 주제로 총 150여 명의 학자와 전문가 및 정부관계자 등이 참석하였다. 프로그램은 ▲ 최재형 국회의원의 환영사 ▲프랑수아 봉땅 벨기에 대사, 최한길 한국조류학회 회장, 배진교 국회의원, 조정훈 국회의원의 축사 ▲콜린 얀센 벨기에 겐트대 마린유겐트연구소장의 기조연설 ▲겐트대학교 글로벌캠퍼스 한태준 총장, 한국수산자원공단 최용우 실장, 덴마크 대사관 혁신센터 디테 뢴더 바이써 센터장의 발제 ▲ 패널토론 순으로 진행되었다.

 
Ghent University Global Campus President Taejun Han holds the Global Strategy Forum on "Safe Seas, Prosperous Future"

 
The issue of recent climate change and the decline of marine biodiversity was raised at the "Global Strategy Forum" held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Currently, extreme weather events are occurring globally, and the future of fish has become uncertain as oxygen levels in the oceans have dropped. 

The oceans are the main source of oxygen in the atmosphere, absorbing about 90% of geothermal heat and about 30% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The problems threatening the oceans are serious because humans benefit from them in many ways, considering that they provide biological resources, contribute to drug development, and offer leisure. 

At the forum, which was held under the theme of "Safe Seas, Prosperous Future," Dr. Colin Janssen, Director of Marine@UGent at Ghent University in Belgium, a world-renowned scholar in the field of the marine environment and climate response who is ranked in the top 1% of the world in terms of paper citation index, delivered a keynote speech. He emphasized that "the risks that threaten the oceans can be seen as a matter of human security," and that "as a huge amount of chemicals and microplastics are entering the ocean, it is necessary to prepare policies to protect the ocean."

"I would like to see an international consortium to monitor the Fukushima wastewater that is currently being discharged," said Dr. Taejun Han, President of Ghent University. "Algae are the base of the entire ecosystem, and if there is a problem with algae, it could eventually lead to a problem for the entire ecosystem." He also argued that it is necessary to diagnose environmental pollution using organisms such as seaweed. 

Yongwoo Choi, head of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, said, "When a spot where seaweed should grow abundantly is covered with calcareous algae and turns white, it is called urchin barrens, and in 2022, about 37% of the coastal bedrock in the country is undergoing this phenomenon," adding, "To solve this problem, we are currently conducting a large-scale sea forest restoration project led by the government." 

"It is important for academia and industry to work together in harmony through international collaborative research," said Prof. Jang-Kyun Kim of Incheon National University during the panel discussion. He also said that seaweed is necessary to utilize high-value-added industries as future food and is highly valuable as a major blue carbon source, but the number of universities with seaweed researchers is declining, so it is urgent to address this issue.

Meanwhile, a total of 150 scholars, experts, and government officials attended the forum under the theme of "Sustainable Fishery Resource Protection Management and Ocean Innovation after Fukushima Wastewater Discharge." The program consisted of ▲ Welcoming remarks by Jaehyung Choi, Member of the National Assembly ▲ Congratulatory remarks by Belgian Ambassador François Bontemps, Hangil Choi, President of the Korean Society of Phycology, Jinkyo Bae, Member of the National Assembly, and Cho Jeonghun, Member of the National Assembly ▲ Keynote speech by Colin Janssen, Director of Marine@UGent at Ghent University in Belgium ▲ Presentations by Taejun Han, President of Ghent University Global Campus, Yongwoo Choi, Director of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, and Ditte Rønde Veise, Head of the Innovation Centre Denmark at the Embassy of Denmark ▲ Panel discussion.