'Seoul-Amsterdam 2050 Carbon Neutral Zero Energy Building Webinar' to be Held on the 20th

Seoul City and Dutch Embassy Co-host Online Event, Pre-registration Open Until 17th
Seoul and Amsterdam Present Carbon Neutrality Roadmap as Side Event of P4G Summit

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 17th that it will jointly host the 'Seoul-Amsterdam 2050 Carbon Neutral Zero Energy Building Webinar' online on the 20th with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Korea.

This event was planned as an official side event to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Netherlands and the hosting of the '2021 P4G Summit (Seoul Green Future Summit)'. It is the first meeting where Seoul and Amsterdam share responses to the climate crisis and discuss solutions.

Starting with the opening remarks by Joanna Donnerbart, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Korea, Seoul and Amsterdam will each present their '2050 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan,' a roadmap to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050 as a practical strategy to keep the global average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The presentations will be given by Jeong Su-yong, Director of the Climate and Environment Headquarters of Seoul, and Marijke van Doninck, Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, respectively.

Seoul has set targets to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, 70% by 2040, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Amsterdam announced its '2050 Amsterdam Climate Neutral Roadmap' in 2019, aiming to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 and 95% by 2050 compared to pre-industrial levels in 1990.

Additionally, the event focuses on practical policies and implementation cases to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector, which accounts for a major portion of emissions, with sessions involving city officials and related companies from both cities.

The sessions will feature a total of eight speakers, four from Seoul and four from Amsterdam, participating in two sessions. Amsterdam participants will join via video conference, while Seoul participants will connect from the video conference room at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The first session will cover 'Zero Energy Buildings and Building Design for Energy Efficiency,' and the second session will discuss 'Renewable Energy and District Heating.'

The first session on 'Zero Energy Buildings' will cover eco-friendly buildings that increase energy efficiency while reducing consumption. It will explain why zero energy buildings are necessary and introduce architectural cases from both cities applying insulation and daylighting using renewable energy. Speakers include Lee Dong-ryul, Head of Seoul’s Environmental Policy Division, Professor Lee Myung-joo of Myongji University, Jos de Becker, Project Leader from Amsterdam, and Jierd Haku, Director of the architectural firm Space & Matter.

The second session, 'Renewable Energy and District Heating,' will introduce Seoul’s low-carbon district heating and Korea’s use of water thermal energy. Notably, Amsterdam, located below sea level, will present its latest water management technologies for flood prevention and world-class district heating cases utilizing abundant water resources (water thermal energy), which is expected to contribute to the development of new renewable energy sources in Seoul.

Speakers include Han Seung-ho, Director of the Smart City Business Division at Seoul Energy Corporation, Professor Yoon Rin of Hanbat National University, Andre Strucker, Director of Waternet, a private company in Amsterdam, and Sale Mohamadi, Senior Developer at the global engineering firm Witteveen+Bos.

The 'Seoul-Amsterdam 2050 Carbon Neutral Zero Energy Building Webinar' will be held online, and anyone can participate by pre-registering by the 17th. By applying for pre-registration through the QR code posted on the Seoul city website, participants will receive a Zoom link to attend.

Jeong Su-yong, Director of the Climate and Environment Headquarters of Seoul, said, “International cooperation between cities is more important than ever for sustainable urban development and joint response to climate change, and governments, companies, and civil society must all take the lead as stakeholders in climate action.” He added, “This event is expected to be a stepping stone for urban partnerships that share knowledge and experience through intercity cooperation and discuss practical solutions to the climate crisis we jointly face.”

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