S. Korea proposes greenhouse gas reduction plans

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea proposed on Tuesday three options to cut
its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, saying it will determine the final
implementation plan within the year.
The proposals are a follow-up to President Lee Myung-bak's address last month at
the G8 Extended Summit, where he pledged active efforts to combat climate change
by setting a specific reduction goal.
The Presidential Committee on Green Growth proposed three scenarios that seek to
reduce emissions by 21 percent, 27 percent or 30 percent of what they are
estimated to reach in 2020 if the current pace continues.
"Considering that Korea's greenhouse gas emissions have almost doubled in the
last 15 years (1990-2005), it is an ambitious target to drastically reduce it
from the current level and prevent further increases over the next 15 years,"
said Kim Hyung-kook, chairman of the committee.
Based on a study initiated last September by key research institutions, the final
reduction target will be confirmed by the end of this year through a
national-consensus building process, the committee said.
South Korea, one of the world's top ten importers of oil and gas, became the
16th-largest producer of greenhouse gases in 2005, emitting an estimated 538
million tons, according to the International Energy Agency.
The country's per-capita annual emissions were 11.1 tons of carbon dioxide in
2005, the 17th-largest among the 30 member nations of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development, mainly due to industrial production, power
generation and transport.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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