Dobong-gu Starts Carbon Neutral (Zero) Journey...Reducing 50,000 Tons of Greenhouse Gases This Year Alone

This Year Marks the First Year of Dobong-gu's Carbon Neutrality Efforts, Targeting a Reduction of 50,763 Tons CO2eq through 7 Sectors and 61 Projects... A Meaningful Challenge Aiming for Carbon Zero by 2050, Creating 277 Green New Deal Jobs with a Total Investment of 37 Billion KRW... Launch of Dobong-gu Climate Change Countermeasures Committee and Promotion of the "Comprehensive Climate Change Response Plan"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Dobong-gu (Mayor Dong-jin Lee) announced that it will reduce 50,763 tons of CO2eq greenhouse gases this year.

Operating the ‘Greenhouse Gas Reduction T/F’, Dobong-gu, which in December 2020 became the first in the nation to enact the 'Dobong-gu Climate Change Response Ordinance' aiming for ‘carbon neutrality by 2050’, is taking the lead in achieving carbon neutrality among basic local governments.

Detailed projects related to greenhouse gas reduction can be found in the ‘2050 Dobong-gu Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy’ established last September, the first among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

The reduction promotion plan, consisting of 27 projects out of 61 projects across 7 sectors, targets carbon reduction amounts by sector as follows: ▲Green Buildings 34,011.0 tons ▲Green Transportation 1,286.8 tons ▲Green Energy 368.4 tons ▲Green Waste 1,720.4 tons ▲Green Forest 114.3 tons ▲Green Living 13,262.0 tons.

Additionally, 34 projects related to climate change adaptation, such as green education, will also be continuously managed.

The district expects that these reduction strategy projects will create 277 Green New Deal jobs, with a total project cost of 37 billion KRW.

Since Dobong-gu declared a ‘Climate Crisis Emergency’ along with 226 basic local governments nationwide in June 2020, it joined the ‘Carbon Neutral Local Government Practice Alliance’ in July of the same year, declaring ‘carbon neutrality by 2050’ and leading meaningful steps toward a decarbonized era.

Accordingly, in August 2020, the district formed the ‘Dobong-gu Greenhouse Gas Reduction T/F’ consisting of 12 related departments and 26 teams, established the '2050 Dobong-gu Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy' in September, and in December enacted the 'Dobong-gu Climate Change Response Ordinance', the first in the nation to formalize the greenhouse gas reduction goal as ‘carbon neutrality by 2050’.

This year, Dobong-gu plans to steadily proceed with follow-up measures following the enforcement of the climate change response ordinance under the vision of ‘a sustainable green city where people and nature coexist happily, Dobong’.

The district will establish the ‘Dobong-gu Climate Change Countermeasures Committee’, composed of about 12 members including climate change experts, the deputy mayor, and the director of the Sustainable Development Bureau, to strengthen public-private cooperation and formulate the ‘Dobong-gu Comprehensive Climate Change Response Plan’ linked with the national government and Seoul city.

The ‘Comprehensive Climate Change Response Plan’ is a mid- to long-term master plan covering overall matters from the current status of greenhouse gases, annual implementation plans, impact assessments, financing, to climate change education and publicity.

Mayor Dong-jin Lee of Dobong-gu said, “2021 is a significant year as the starting point of the long journey toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Practical greenhouse gas reduction at the local government level from the bottom up is the starting point,” and added, “We will take a leading role to ensure that carbon reduction efforts starting from the public sector can be activated across all sectors of society.”

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