Public Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Decrease by 37.5% by 2030... "Carbon Neutrality by 2050"

Ministry of Environment: "Over 780 Organizations Reduce Greenhouse Gases"
Hydrogen Car Distribution and Renewable Energy Use Recognized for Reduction Performance

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the public sector, including government ministries and local governments, by 37.5% compared to 2017 levels by 2030.

The Ministry of Environment will announce a 20-day administrative notice starting from the 8th regarding the revision of the "Guidelines on the Operation of Greenhouse Gas and Energy Target Management in the Public Sector," which includes the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target.

In this revision, the public sector has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37.5% based on 2017 levels by 2030. This is a more ambitious figure compared to the national reduction target set at 24.4%.

An official from the Ministry of Environment explained, "The public sector's greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 were approximately 4 million tons," adding, "The goal is to reduce emissions to 2.6 million tons by 2030."

As of last year, the public sector includes a total of 782 institutions: central administrative agencies (45), local governments (243), city and provincial education offices (17), public institutions (290), local public corporations and public enterprises (140), national and public universities (36), and national university hospitals and dental hospitals (11).

The public sector greenhouse gas target management system, introduced in 2011, had previously set a reduction target of 30% by 2020 compared to the baseline emissions (average emissions from 2007 to 2009). This time, targets for 2021 to 2030 have been presented.

An official from the Ministry of Environment stated, "If based on the average emissions from 2007 to 2009, this means a 50% reduction by 2030," and added, "The goal is to achieve carbon neutrality (net zero) by reducing the remaining 50% before 2050."

The revision of the notice allows for a comprehensive review of reduction performance, future emission projections, and reduction potential by 2025, enabling the possibility of raising targets.

The existing institutions' annual reduction targets have been set to increase by 2 percentage points each year from a 32% reduction in 2021 compared to the 2007-2009 average, reaching a 50% reduction by 2030.

For institutions newly included after 2021, the reduction target for the current year is set by subtracting the average reduction rate of existing institutions from the previous year from the annual reduction target. This is to reduce the burden of achieving excessive targets all at once.

Additionally, to achieve the reduction targets, new measures have been added, including the continuous promotion of Green New Deal projects, expansion of renewable energy use through leading implementation of RE100 in the public sector, and activation of external reduction projects. RE100 stands for "Renewable Energy 100%" and is a voluntary campaign aiming to cover 100% of electricity consumption with renewable energy.

To lead the public sector's RE100 implementation, greenhouse gas reduction achievements recognized through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) and participation in third-party Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) equity shares can be used as reduction results under this target management system.

When the public sector distributes hydrogen electric vehicles to local residents or elementary, middle, and high schools through financial support, this is additionally recognized as greenhouse gas reduction achievements for the respective institution as an external reduction project. The limit for using these achievements has also been raised from 10% to 20% of the baseline emissions.

Detailed information on this revision can be found on the Ministry of Environment's website. After collecting various opinions from stakeholders and the public during the administrative notice period, the final version will be confirmed and implemented.

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