The 1st Yonsei Cheongsong Forum Lecture by Former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo “Green growth is not just a political slogan; it is a new paradigm. This paradigm brings economic growth and environment conservation, not as opposing forces, but together in the sense of sustainable development.” The 1st Cheongsong Forum took place at the Yonsei Alumni Association building on September 26th. The forum was organized by the Institute of East and West Studies and supported by the Office of External Affairs and Development. Its name Cheongsong, which means to carefully listen to the voice of even a pine tree, is also part of Cheongsongdae, an area of pine trees on Sinchon campus. In the congratulatory speech, Yonsei President Jeong Kap-young said, “Yonsei should continue serving its role as a top-ranking educational institute, while at the same time, fulfilling social responsibilities in accordance with the rapidly changing conditions of social and international affairs. The first speaker of the Cheongsong Forum, former Prime Minister, Han Seung-soo, is an alumnus of Yonsei and served as first Chairman of the Global Green Growth Institute in Korea and a Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change. He currently takes up positions on the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Board on Global Sustainability and the UN High-level Expert Panel on Water and Disaster. In his lecture ‘A New Paradigm in the Climate Change Era,’ Mr. Han Seung-soo addressed the severity of climate change on earth and the need to enforce international movement. Some of his examples of global warming and climate change include increasing seawater temperatures and melting glaciers. Over the last 100 years, the seawater temperature of Jeju Island increased by about two degrees Celsius, and this is more serious when taking into consideration that the average temperature of the world oceans has increased by 20 degrees over the last 10,000 years. In the North Pole, amounts of glaciers equivalent to the size of England are melting every year. Mr. Han underlined the urgent need for international effort in response to climate change. He explained how the members of the State Council in Maldives hold their State Council meetings in the seabed with their diving clothes on. He stressed, “At this point, we need to strive to help the next generation and the future.”