Seoul's 12 Years of 'Eco Mileage' Implementation... Achieves Forest Growth Equivalent to 3.7 Times Seoul's Area

Currently, 1 in 5 citizens participate... 2.225 million members
Reduced 2.387 million tons of CO2 to tackle the climate crisis
Expanded mileage rewards for passenger car mileage integration, zero waste, and recycling

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] One in five Seoul citizens has participated in the ‘Eco Mileage’ program, an energy-saving incentive initiative started by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2009, which has contributed to addressing the climate crisis by reducing approximately 2.387 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the past 12 years.

On the 31st, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that since 2009, the Eco Mileage program has achieved an effect equivalent to creating a forest 3.7 times the size of Seoul’s total area (221,612 hectares) or planting 361.63 million 30-year-old pine trees.

Seoul’s Eco Mileage is a lifestyle energy-saving incentive program launched in 2009 by Mayor Oh Se-hoon with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The city accumulates mileage points for households, schools, and businesses that reduce carbon emissions by saving electricity, water, and city gas. Citizens can then use these mileage points for activities such as paying taxes, purchasing traditional market gift certificates, or donating to desert tree planting, thereby participating in low-carbon activities.

The number of members, which was about 360,000 when Eco Mileage was introduced in 2009, increased 6.2 times to 2.225 million as of the end of July this year. This means that one in five Seoul citizens is participating in Eco Mileage, establishing it as a representative citizen energy-saving movement in the city.

Thanks to active citizen participation, the energy saved through Eco Mileage over 12 years amounts to 1,161,268 TOE (tons of oil equivalent). This exceeds the annual power generation of one thermal power plant (920,000 TOE/unit). When converted to greenhouse gas emissions, this corresponds to a reduction of 2.387 million tons of carbon dioxide.

When converted into monetary value, 1,161,268 TOE amounts to 766.9 billion KRW. Compared to the 56.9 billion KRW budget the Seoul Metropolitan Government invested over 12 years for Eco Mileage incentives and other expenses, the return on investment exceeds 13 times.

As the number of Eco Mileage subscribers increases every year and the energy-saving effect expands, Seoul plans to enhance the system to provide citizens with more diverse benefits and accelerate carbon neutrality. First, the existing Eco Mileage will be integrated with passenger car mileage. Incentives will be provided for reducing driving distances, and the combined mileage will be unified for usage, expanding benefits. The separately operated websites will also be merged into one to improve service quality.

Additionally, the energy-saving incentives, which have so far focused on buildings, will be expanded to various areas where energy can be saved in daily life, such as zero waste, resource circulation program usage like recycling, use of bicycles and public transportation, and social contributions (donations), diversifying the scope of mileage rewards.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Director of the Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “Eco Mileage has developed into a global energy-saving program with over 2.23 million participants over the past 12 years,” adding, “At a time when global disasters caused by the climate crisis are severe, we will continue to support more citizens in realizing carbon neutrality in their daily lives.”

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