Collaboration Among 6 Ministries Including Korea Forest Service

Exterior view of the Government Daejeon Complex building housing the Korea Forest Service and others. Photo by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Six government ministries, including the Korea Forest Service, are joining forces to achieve carbon neutrality in schools.

According to the Korea Forest Service on the 13th, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea Forest Service, and Korea Meteorological Administration signed a memorandum of understanding at the Government Sejong Convention Center to cooperate in realizing carbon neutrality within schools.

The agreement was made under the recognition that climate crisis and environmental ecology education are essential for future generations as the foundation for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It aims to enhance understanding of environmental crises from early childhood and support practical actions to solve related problems.

According to the agreement, the six ministries plan to prioritize improving systems related to school environmental education for responding to the climate crisis and achieving carbon neutrality. They will develop programs targeting students, parents, and teachers and distribute them to frontline schools.

Additionally, they will utilize affiliated institutions and organizations of the signatory bodies, such as experience centers and science museums, to support experiential education related to the climate crisis and environmental ecology for students. They will also discover and expand projects to realize carbon neutrality in schools, including operating the (tentatively named) Carbon Neutrality Pilot and Focus Schools.

In particular, to achieve collaborative results through the agreement, the six ministries plan to form and operate a policy council that includes department heads and working-level officials from each ministry on a quarterly basis.

Furthermore, they will set ministry-specific tasks for promoting carbon neutrality by 2050 and cooperate mutually in education and publicity efforts.

Choi Byung-am, Administrator of the Korea Forest Service, stated, “We will strive to achieve visible results by realizing carbon neutrality starting from schools, which are assemblies of youth who will lead the future.” He added, “To this end, each ministry will expand the foundation of forest education comprehensively by creating carbon sinks such as school forests within schools and promoting projects to improve classrooms using domestic wood.”

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