K-Pop Enthusiasts and Their Efforts towards Global Environmental Conservation

In the world of K-pop, fans have shown their power extends beyond the dance floors and concert halls. K-pop4Planet, a platform and community dedicated to mobilizing global K-pop fans to fight the climate crisis, was launched in March 2021 by Sarifah and Dayeon Lee.

The video titled "Climate Action In Your Area", uploaded online in December 2020 by Blackpink, a global K-pop sensation, went viral and inspired long-time K-pop fan Nurul Sarifah to start K-pop4Planet. The video spoke about the growing threat of climate change and urged fans to take action.

K-pop4Planet aims to create a space where K-pop fans can kickstart campaigns and network for support. The platform has been successful in raising awareness and taking action. In April, fans staged a peaceful protest outside HYBE's Seoul headquarters, delivering a petition with over 10,000 signatures to company representatives. The protest was part of the ongoing campaign No K-pop on a Dead Planet, led by Lee, which calls on South Korean entertainment companies like HYBE, YG, SM, and JYP to take steps such as adopting low-emission concerts and limiting plastic use in albums.

Fans returned over 8,000 albums to HYBE to demand greener album options. K-pop4Planet aims to reduce plastic album waste in the K-pop industry, as over 57 million K-pop albums were sold in 2021, a 37% increase from the year before. The goal is to get streaming companies to switch to data centers that run on renewable energy.

Discussions are ongoing with Tokopedia, but a resolution has yet to materialize. K-pop4Planet has received proposals and suggestions from Korea's top entertainment firms. The organization is currently funded by Actions Speak Louder, an Australia-based nonprofit global campaigning organization.

K-pop4Planet is in the thick of planning out its next campaign. The campaign will confront music streaming platforms about their data centers and their carbon emissions. The organization operates with a team of seven people in Indonesia, five in South Korea, and over 20 global ambassadors.

K-pop fans have already shown their power in raising funds for earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia in 2018 and leaving hundreds of seats empty at a rally held by Donald Trump in June 2020. With K-pop4Planet, they continue to demonstrate that their influence can be used for positive change, not just in the music industry, but in the fight against climate change as well.

"A lot of companies have shown that they listen to our voice, it's possible," says Sarifah, a testament to the power of K-pop fans and K-pop4Planet in creating a greener future for the K-pop industry and the planet.