Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) Climate Change Response Project Team (Director Kang Yoon Hee) conducted the 「Global Climate Avengers 2025 : Chile」 program in Santiago and Patagonia, Chile, from January 3 to 22, spanning 17 nights and 20 days. Eight Kookmin University students and two supervising professors participated in this program. 
Students participated in semester courses at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and field visits in Patagonia, learning about climate change theoretically and verifying it through field visits.

△ Group photo of Kookmin University and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile faculty and students

Participating students took the course ‘From Climate Risk to Sustainability: Perspectives from Chile and Latin America’ at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, a leader in climate change research and education in South America. The course approached climate change from a multidisciplinary perspective, expanding beyond environmental issues to address its socioeconomic dimensions.

Students understood the impact of human activities on Earth systems through the concept of the ‘Anthropocene’. They then learned about sustainable development and the meaning of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They also examined how Chilean agriculture faces a complex crisis including water scarcity, declining labor force, climate change, and rising production costs. They discussed the challenge of simultaneously securing sustainability and productivity within limited resources.

The session treated soil, water, and biodiversity as core elements in responding to the climate crisis. Students confirmed soil's crucial role in carbon storage and biodiversity maintenance. They also examined how land management practices can either mitigate or accelerate climate change. Analysis included Chile's chronic droughts and wildfire cases, revealing how water scarcity is structurally linked to water resource management systems. Subsequently, they discussed the necessity of integrated water resource management and ecosystem-based approaches.

They also studied sustainable livestock farming methods, focusing on regenerative agriculture and biomimicry concepts. Students visited the AgroUC Foundation research farm to participate in field classes. Concurrently, they compared Chile's progress in expanding renewable energy with the greenhouse gas emission structures of other countries. They confirmed that natural ecosystems function as important carbon sinks.

△ Field trip class at the AgroUC Foundation research farm

The course also addressed the relationship between climate change and social inequality as a key theme. Students analyzed Chile's water privatization system as a major case study. 
They examined how income and labor condition disparities widened following droughts. Through discussions and team presentations, they confirmed that the climate crisis is a structural problem disproportionately affecting specific groups. They also summarized the necessity of adaptation and mitigation policies and the importance of a just transition.

△ Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile class team project presentation

Beyond classes, they attended basic Spanish language lectures, social programs, special lectures on global leadership, and museum tours.
Students examined sustainable campus operation practices during a campus tour. They also visited a winery and the Coastal Marine Research Station. Furthermore, they visited La Montaña Brewery, located within the El Ajial Nature Sanctuary in the Maipo Valley (Santuario de la Naturaleza El Ajial), to observe locally-based sustainability practices. Through these field visits, they gained an understanding of Chilean environmental policies and the response strategies of local communities.

△ Campus Tour at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

After completing the semester-long course, students traveled to the Puerto Natales region of Patagonia from January 17 to 20 to explore Torres del Paine National Park. They observed glaciers firsthand at Grey Lake, witnessing the phenomenon of glacial retreat. Through trekking, they visited the Salto Grande waterfall and the Cuernos del Paine viewpoint. They also examined areas previously damaged by wildfires, confirming the impact the climate crisis has left on the ecosystem. Students experienced the effects of climate change firsthand on-site. They reaffirmed the necessity of nature conservation and responding to the climate crisis.

△ Group photo at Torres del Paine National Park and photo of Grey Lake (glacier)

Through this 「Global Climate Avengers 2025 : Chile」 program, students verified climate change theories learned in the classroom in the field. They compared the different manifestations of the climate crisis and response methods in Korea with those in Chile based on the Chilean case. This broadened their perspective on understanding climate change within a regional context. Combining a seasonal semester course with field exploration, this program presented an educational model for understanding the climate crisis on a global scale.

As the lead institution of the HUSS Environmental Consortium, Kookmin University, under the theme ‘Coexistence and Mutual Prosperity in the Era of Climate Crisis,’ is breaking down boundaries between universities and disciplines alongside Duksung Women's University, Ulsan University, Inha University, and Chosun University. Through interdisciplinary convergence education, it is cultivating future-oriented humanities and social sciences talent equipped with problem-solving capabilities and convergent thinking.