Gwangju City Begins Blueprint for Achieving Carbon Neutral and Energy Self-Sufficient City by 2045

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the afternoon of the 10th, Gwangju Metropolitan City held a kickoff briefing and expert advisory meeting for the ‘2045 Carbon Neutrality Mid- to Long-term Roadmap Establishment’ at The Work shared office, discussing the direction and schedule for the plan establishment.

At the briefing, advisory committee members including the Gwangju-Jeonnam Research Institute, Gwangju Sustainable Development Council, International Climate Change Adaptation Center, university professors, and city officials participated. They received the kickoff report from the entrusted organization for the mid- to long-term roadmap establishment, the International Climate Environment Center Foundation, and had time for expert advice and Q&A.

Last year, Gwangju proactively responded to the climate crisis by presenting the vision of the Gwangju-type AI-Green New Deal and declared a major transition to become the first carbon-neutral city by 2045 in Korea. To realize this vision and goal, the city plans to prepare specific and systematic customized strategies suited to regional characteristics.

The long-term strategy, the ‘Basic Plan for Climate Change Response,’ is a comprehensive plan to achieve the 2045 carbon neutrality goal. It includes the current status and outlook of greenhouse gas emissions by sector, reduction execution targets, detailed implementation plans, monitoring methods, Green New Deal plans, and measures to enhance climate change adaptability across all local communities considering climate risks.

The mid-term strategy, the ‘3rd Detailed Implementation Plan for Climate Change Adaptation Measures,’ is a five-year execution plan to minimize damage caused by climate change. Based on the evaluation of climate change impacts and vulnerabilities throughout Gwangju, it scientifically and objectively analyzes characteristics to select key areas necessary for climate change adaptation and proposes highly effective adaptation tasks.

This project is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. The city intends to incorporate the voices of experts and citizens throughout the planning process to maximize consensus on citizen action plans for carbon neutrality.

To this end, during the sectoral strategy establishment process for energy transition, buildings, transportation, agriculture and livestock, and carbon sinks, an advisory group composed of administration, experts, civic groups, and related organizations will be operated. Additionally, a citizen participation group of 100 general citizens will be formed, and an online platform will be established to freely propose policies and share opinions.

Song Yong-su, head of the Climate Environment Policy Division of the city, said, “Once the roadmap is completed, it will specifically show how much greenhouse gas is emitted from each sector and what efforts the Gwangju community must make to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.” He added, “Every citizen’s participation on the path to carbon neutrality and small actions starting from oneself can come together to change the world and make the Earth smile again.”

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