"Reduced 22,000 tons with Fine Dust Seasonal Management... Average Concentration Down by 1.9㎍/㎥"

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] It has been found that the implementation of the fine dust seasonal management system reduced domestic fine particulate matter emissions by approximately 22,000 tons. During the seasonal management period, the nationwide average concentration of fine particulate matter decreased by about 1.9㎍/㎥.

The Ministry of Environment disclosed the analysis results of the fine dust seasonal management system's effectiveness on the 12th. The seasonal management system is a policy that implements comprehensive fine dust reduction measures across power generation, industry, and transportation sectors from December to March, when high concentrations of fine dust are expected.

Geum Han-seung, Director of Air Quality Policy at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "It is estimated that the implementation of the seasonal management system reduced domestic fine particulate matter emissions by up to approximately 22,000 tons."

First, through government support projects and promotions such as early retirement of old diesel vehicles and installation of emission reduction devices, about 113,000 grade 5 vehicles were reduced during the seasonal management period.

The reduction amounts by substance are estimated as follows: direct emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 5,600 tons, sulfur oxides (SOx) 34,000 tons, nitrogen oxides (NOx) 58,000 tons, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 19,000 tons.

The improvement effect on the nationwide average concentration was 1.4㎍/㎥ in the first half of the seasonal management period (December 2019 to January 2020) and 2.5㎍/㎥ in the latter half (February to March 2020), resulting in an overall reduction of about 1.9㎍/㎥ during the entire period.

The number of days with poor fine particulate matter levels (36㎍/㎥ or higher) decreased by up to 9 days in Chungnam, 4 days in Jeonnam, and 2 days in Seoul compared to the previous year, with a nationwide average decrease of 2 days. The maximum improvement in hourly peak concentrations was observed as follows: Gyeonggi (maximum) 33.1㎍/㎥, Jeonnam 23.1㎍/㎥, Gyeongbuk 20.0㎍/㎥, and Jeju (minimum) 5.6㎍/㎥. The average concentrations by province improved as follows: Gyeongbuk (maximum) 3.9㎍/㎥, Jeonnam 2.7㎍/㎥, Chungnam 2.4㎍/㎥, Seoul 2.0㎍/㎥, and Jeju (minimum) 0.8㎍/㎥.

Director Geum said, "The effectiveness of the seasonal management system shows significant regional variation," adding, "In particular, the effects were concentrated in Chungnam, Jeonnam, and Gyeongbuk regions, where industrial facilities such as coal power plants and steel mills are densely located."

The Ministry of Environment also explained the influence of external factors such as weather conditions, China's fine dust reduction measures, and the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in addition to the policy effects of the seasonal management system.

First, weather conditions during the seasonal management period, including an increase in east wind days (from 7 to 22 days) and precipitation (from 111 to 206 mm), were analyzed to have favorably contributed to the improvement of fine dust levels. Due to favorable weather conditions compared to the previous year, the nationwide average concentration of fine particulate matter is estimated to have decreased by about 3㎍/㎥.

China promoted fine dust emission reductions through spring and winter countermeasures similar to Korea's seasonal management system in three key regions from October last year to March this year. Additionally, due to the impact of COVID-19, economic activities such as traffic volume decreased, which is presumed to have reduced fine dust emissions.

However, Director Geum stated, "There were limitations in accurately quantifying the reduction in China's emissions, and the Chinese government shared the same view."

At the first Korea-China seasonal management policy sharing video conference held on the 28th of last month, the Chinese side acknowledged the impact of COVID-19 in February but stated that in-depth analysis is needed to accurately estimate the reduction amount during the seasonal management period.

Nevertheless, numerical modeling assuming the reduction in China's emissions due to their countermeasures and the impact of COVID-19 analyzed that the seasonal management period lowered the domestic average concentration of fine particulate matter by approximately 1.1 to 2.8㎍/㎥.

Based on the results announced that day, the Ministry of Environment plans to begin preparations with related ministries for the next implementation of the seasonal management system. In the future, a fine of 100,000 KRW will be imposed for violations of restrictions on the operation of old vehicles during the seasonal management period.

Director Geum said, "While there were governmental policy efforts, above all, the active participation of our citizens and the shared burden of our society made it possible for the newly introduced seasonal management system to achieve some results," adding, "The government will make every effort with stronger determination to prepare for the next seasonal management system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.