| Sourced From Koreatimes.co.kr |
The administration is seeking to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent by 2020 from 2005 by promoting the use of bio and nuclear energy, and energy-efficient technologies, officials said Wednesday.
The plan is expected to draw a fierce backlash from industries, which have already called the goal too ambitious, and from most small-sized firms, which say it is unrealistic.
Business associations complain that firms should make additional investments to update their production lines as recommended by the government to reduce carbon emissions.
In August, the Presidential Committee on Green Growth suggested three goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent, 27 percent and 30 percent by 2020 under the “business as usual (BAU)” projections. The figures represent an 8-percent rise, a freeze and a 4-percent cut, respectively, when compared with emissions in 2005. The country’s carbon emissions were recorded at 594 million tons in 2005, the 16th highest in the world.
The committee has been in discussions with institutes to choose one of the goals and announce it ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference slated for December in Copenhagen, Denmark, where countries are expected to set up new guidelines for global carbon emission control.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed nations have to slash their emissions by an average of 5 percent below their 1990 levels by 2012.
At the upcoming talks in Copenhagen, countries are expected to set up new targets for global emissions beyond 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.
Korea currently has no obligations to cut emissions, but will become the first emerging country to set up carbon reduction goals.
Of the three BAU-based scenarios, the committee currently favors a 30-percent cut, the toughest one for companies, sources said.
“The government’s carbon emission policy will deal a blow to all types of companies, regardless of whether they are big or small,” said a spokesman from the Federation of Korean Industries. “In particular, it could push firms experiencing financial difficulties to the limit.”
The committee has suggested diverse measures to cut emissions.
To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the government will develop clean sources of energy. It also plans to subsidize firms to help develop electric cars and replace public buildings with “green buildings,” adopting energy-saving and pollution-free technologies.
Some businesspeople, however, argue the government is setting up unattainable goals without considering the reality.
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
jj@koreatimes.co.kr
