2019 Greenhouse Gas Emissions 713.7 Million Tons... 3.5% Decrease from Previous Year

Ministry of Environment Greenhouse Gas Comprehensive Information Center Confirms 2019 National Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Electricity and Heat Decreased by 19.61 Million Tons, Fluorinated Gases by 3.81 Million Tons, Among Other Factors

Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Country Share in 2019

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Greenhouse gas emissions peaked in 2018 and decreased in 2019. The emissions in 2019 were 701.37 million tons, down 3.5% from the previous year.

The Greenhouse Gas Comprehensive Information Center under the Ministry of Environment announced on the 31st that the national greenhouse gas emissions for 2019 were confirmed through the review of the National Greenhouse Gas Statistics Management Committee.

Emissions from the energy sector accounted for 87.2% of the national total emissions, amounting to 611.5 million tons, a decrease of 21.07 million tons (3.3%) compared to the previous year.

In the power generation and heat production sector, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 19.61 million tons (7.3%) compared to 2018 due to a 1.3% reduction in power generation from decreased electricity demand and a 4.8% reduction in coal-fired power generation as part of fine dust countermeasures.

Emissions from manufacturing and construction decreased by 0.44 million tons (0.2%) compared to 2018. By category, non-metallic increased by 1.13 million tons (10.2%) and chemical by 0.41 million tons (0.9%), while steel decreased by 0.06 million tons (0.1%), non-ferrous metals by 0.13 million tons (4.4%), and others by 1.79 million tons (5.7%).

The transportation sector saw an increase of 2.89 million tons (2.9%) in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2018, due to declines in international oil prices and domestic fuel sales prices.

In households, commerce, and public sectors, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 3.11 million tons (5.6%) compared to 2018 due to reduced consumption of heating fuels.

Emissions from the industrial process sector in 2019 accounted for 7.4% of the national total, totaling 51.99 million tons, a 6.8% decrease from the previous year.

Within the mineral industry sector, emissions increased by 0.1 million tons (0.3%), while the chemical and metal industry sectors decreased by 0.02 million tons (2.6%) and 0.06 million tons (23.8%), respectively.

Fluorinated greenhouse gases decreased by 3.81 million tons (19.5%) compared to 2018 due to reduced consumption of ozone-depleting substance substitutes and in semiconductor and LCD production sectors.

Emissions from the agriculture sector in 2019 accounted for 3.0% of the national total, totaling 20.96 million tons, a decrease of 0.17 million tons (0.8%) compared to the previous year. Specifically, enteric fermentation from livestock digestion increased by 0.12 million tons (2.6%), agricultural soil by 0.09 million tons (1.6%), and crop residue burning by 0.01 million tons (6.6%), while rice cultivation decreased by 0.34 million tons (5.4%) and livestock manure by 0.04 million tons (0.8%).

Emissions from the waste sector in 2019 accounted for 2.4% of the national total, totaling 16.91 million tons, a decrease of 0.63 million tons (3.6%) compared to the previous year. Specifically, wastewater treatment increased by 0.08 million tons (4.3%) and others by 0.06 million tons (7.8%), while incineration decreased by 0.66 million tons (9.3%) and landfill by 0.11 million tons (1.3%).

When national emissions are reclassified by economic and industrial sectors according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines, the shares are: industry 55.7%, buildings 21.0%, transportation 14.6%, public and others 2.7%, waste 2.4%, agriculture and livestock 3.0%, and emissions from leakage 0.6%. Examining the year-on-year changes by sector, transportation increased by 2.77 million tons (2.8%), while industry decreased by 14.63 million tons (3.6%), buildings by 11.05 million tons (7.0%), public and others by 1.58 million tons (7.6%), waste by 0.63 million tons (3.6%), agriculture and livestock by 0.17 million tons (0.8%), and leakage and others by 0.38 million tons (7.8%).

The share of the six major domestic greenhouse gases is highest for carbon dioxide (CO2) at 91.8%, followed by methane (CH4) at 3.9%, nitrous oxide (N2O) at 2%, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) at 1%, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) at 0.8%, and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) at 0.4%.

The "greenhouse gas emissions per 1 billion KRW of GDP" improved by 5.6% to 379 tons in 2019 from 401 tons in 2018. The "per capita greenhouse gas emissions" decreased by 3.7% to 13.6 tons from 14.1 tons in 2018.

According to the calculation of emissions by 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide in 2019, Chungnam had the highest emissions at 154.75 million tons, followed by Jeonnam (91 million tons), Gyeonggi (85.11 million tons), Gyeongnam (59.18 million tons), and Gyeongbuk (58.05 million tons). However, when indirect emissions based on actual electricity (heat) consumption are calculated, Gyeonggi had the highest at 63.1 million tons, followed by Chungnam (25.87 million tons), Seoul (21.36 million tons), Gyeongbuk (20.9 million tons), and Gyeongnam (16.07 million tons).

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