Dobong-gu Launches 'Greenhouse Gas Reduction Campaign: Cutting 4 Tons Per Person' to Accelerate Carbon Neutrality

On April 22, a 2050 Carbon Neutrality Nationwide Civic Resolution led to about 6,000 people pledging to reduce 4,300 tons over a month... Promoting 10 lifestyle practice campaigns such as installing veranda-type mini solar panels, driving 60 km less per month by private car, and using 10% less city gas monthly can reduce up to 4 tons.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dobong-gu (Mayor Dongjin Lee) is actively carrying out the ‘Dobong Residents’ Campaign to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 4 Tons Per Person’ to achieve ‘Carbon Neutrality by 2050.’

The ‘Dobong Residents’ Campaign to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 4 Tons Per Person’ is a citizen participation campaign launched on April 22 under the banner of creating a sustainable Dobong through 10 promises and practices to reduce greenhouse gases in daily life.

According to the Korea Environment Corporation’s ‘Local Government Greenhouse Gas Inventory,’ Dobong-gu’s greenhouse gas emissions, i.e., carbon dioxide emissions, were 1,342,000 tons in 2005 but have decreased annually to 1,177,000 tons in 2017.

Dividing this value simply by the population of Dobong-gu gives an arithmetic average of 3.4 tons per person, but Dobong-gu set the reduction target at ‘4 tons’ so that all residents can easily recognize it.

Chemically, 4 tons of carbon dioxide corresponds to about 90,000 moles (mol, 1 mole = 6.02×10^23 molecules) of carbon dioxide, occupying a volume of approximately 2,000 cubic meters (equivalent to 100,000 20-liter volume-based waste bags) at 0°C and 1 atmosphere pressure.

In daily life terms, this equates to consuming 8,696 kWh of electricity, about 35 times the average monthly household electricity usage (244 kWh in 2020), or producing greenhouse gases equivalent to burning 1,835 liters of gasoline or using 1,835 N cubic meters of city gas (LNG).

Reducing greenhouse gases by 4 tons is not as difficult as it seems. For a single-person household living in an apartment, installing just one 325W veranda-type mini solar panel is sufficient. If driving a 2000cc gasoline car, reducing monthly driving by 60 km through public transportation, car mileage programs, or eco-friendly driving is enough. For households using city gas (LNG), installing an eco-friendly boiler or maintaining an appropriate heating temperature to save about 10% monthly (approximately 5 N cubic meters in Dobong-gu) is effective.

Of course, maintaining this until 2050 is not easy, but if you want to accelerate the timeline, practicing multiple methods simultaneously is a good approach.

If all 10 items of the ‘4 Tons Reduction per Person’ campaign are practiced, it is said that three years is sufficient.

Meanwhile, Dobong-gu has long declared the climate crisis and the realization of carbon neutrality by 2050, making it a leading autonomous district that was the first among Seoul’s local governments to announce a greenhouse gas reduction strategy.

On April 22, ‘Earth Day,’ Dobong-gu held the ‘2050 Carbon Neutrality Practice Pledge Rally,’ conducting online and offline campaigns through pledge forms, with about 6,000 participants promising to reduce approximately 4,300 tons of greenhouse gases annually over about a month.

Dobong-gu has designated June, which includes Environment Day on June 5, as the campaign boom-up period and is conducting intensive promotions together with the ‘Dobong-gu 2050 Carbon Neutrality Practice Team.’ Those wishing to participate in the campaign can visit the district office website (Life → Cleaning/Environment, or search ‘greenhouse gas’ in the search bar) to fill out and submit the ‘Greenhouse Gas Reduction Pledge Form.’ However, participants must select and pledge at least two of the ‘Top 10 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Actions I Practice.’

Mayor Dongjin Lee of Dobong-gu emphasized, “This year marks the inaugural year of practical actions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. First, Dobong-gu plans to inform many residents about carbon neutrality throughout June, which includes Environment Day. While promises through the campaign are important, consistent practice is even more crucial. It is not an easy path, but since it can no longer be postponed, everyone must participate together to create a sustainable carbon-neutral city.”

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