Oh Se-hoon, Aiming for 1 Million Low-Carbon Buildings and 10% Electric Vehicles by 2026... 10 Trillion Won Invested Over 5 Years

Announcement of 2050 Carbon Neutral 'Comprehensive Climate Change Response Plan'... 30% Greenhouse Gas Reduction by 2026
Focus on Buildings with Highest Emissions... Energy Efficiency for 1 Million Old Buildings, Mandatory ZEB for New Buildings

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2026 to build a "city safe from the climate crisis." To achieve this, it will strengthen insulation performance and remodeling of 1 million aging buildings, from public buildings to apartments, to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, starting next year, the design of 'Zero Energy Buildings' (ZEB) will be mandated for private buildings with a total floor area of 100,000㎡ or more, and various energy sources such as thermal energy and geothermal energy will be developed to raise the renewable energy supply rate to 21% by 2030.

On the 20th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the 'Comprehensive Plan for Climate Change Response,' which includes these measures, stating that over the next five years, annual greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced to 35 million tons, a 30% reduction compared to 2005, accelerating the realization of carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan includes an investment of 10 trillion won by 2026.

The comprehensive plan will be promoted through five major sectors: ▲Buildings ▲Transportation ▲Removing concrete and creating green spaces, water, and soil ▲A city safe for citizens from climate disasters ▲Citizen participation, with 10 core tasks and 143 detailed projects. First, Seoul will work on energy efficiency for 1 million buildings. To reduce emissions in the building sector, which accounts for the largest share (68.7%) of Seoul's greenhouse gas emissions, the 'Building Energy++' project will be vigorously promoted to improve the energy efficiency of aging buildings and reduce energy consumption. Among the total 600,000 buildings in Seoul, 280,000 are over 30 years old, accounting for one in every two buildings. As time passes, the number of aging buildings will increase, making energy efficiency improvements urgent.

Energy Efficiency Improvement of Public Buildings (Narae Daycare Center, Guro-gu)

Energy efficiency improvements will be promoted for 1 million buildings by 2026. The targets for energy efficiency improvements include 800,000 residential buildings such as apartments, 120,000 public housing units, 80,000 low-income and near-poverty households, and 3,000 facilities such as senior centers, daycare centers, and public offices. Additionally, new buildings will be gradually mandated to be constructed as Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB). For private buildings, ZEB design will be mandatory from next year for buildings with a total floor area of 100,000㎡ or more, expanding to buildings of 1,000㎡ or more by 2025. All public buildings must be constructed as ZEB starting in 2024.

To reduce the use of fossil fuels (such as city gas), which account for about 67% of the energy consumed in Seoul, various renewable energy sources such as thermal energy, geothermal energy, and fuel cells will be promoted. The city is also considering the long-term introduction of a 'ban on fossil fuel use in new buildings' policy, which is planned to be implemented in overseas cities like New York and San Francisco. The goal is to raise the renewable energy supply rate from 4.2% last year to 12.6% by 2026 and 21% by 2030.

Seoul plans to distribute 400,000 electric vehicles and 220,000 chargers, increasing the share of electric vehicles to 10%. Passenger cars will be expanded to 270,000 by 2026, and all new delivery trucks and delivery motorcycles will be replaced with electric vehicles. City buses will be replaced with 4,000 electric buses, and taxis will replace 12,000 vehicles, accounting for 20% of the total, with electric vehicles. Like electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, another type of eco-friendly vehicle, will be mainly supplied for large vehicles such as buses (1,000 units) and garbage trucks (100 units).

Electric Vehicle Charging Station (Gangnam-gu Public Parking Lot)

Furthermore, climate response policies specialized for the large city of Seoul, vulnerable to climate crises such as the heat island effect, will be promoted. Gray concrete and asphalt covering the city will be removed, and green spaces with dense forests and clear water will be created to lower urban temperatures and expand resting areas. Through green space expansion, 31 million㎡ of park green spaces, equivalent to 13 times the size of World Cup Park, will be created and maintained by 2026. Living area parks of 750,000㎡ will be created and maintained on compensation lands for long-term unexecuted urban parks, and rooftop greening, which turns public and private building rooftops into urban oases, will be expanded to a total of 1,000 buildings by 2030.

Efforts to create a water circulation city will also accelerate. Starting this year, the 'Stream Renaissance' project will restore the ecology around six tributaries?Nokbeoncheon, Dorimcheon, Jungnangcheon, Seongnaecheon, Jeongneungcheon, and Hongjecheon?expanding waterfront spaces and mitigating urban heat island effects. The city has also planned to establish 10 'Smart Water Circulation Cities' by 2026, beginning with the Sangbong-dong area in Jungnang-gu.

To prepare for climate disasters, Seoul will be made a safe city. Water supply and sewage facilities will be preemptively maintained to prepare for droughts and floods, and urban infrastructure such as rainwater pumping stations for flood prevention will be expanded. Safety inspections of 600 road facilities will be strengthened. A permanent organization, the '24-hour Emergency Situation Center,' will be established in 2024 to prepare for new infectious diseases caused by climate change, and health management services for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and residents of small rooms vulnerable to heatwaves will be expanded to 340,000 visits annually.

Meanwhile, Seoul will gradually phase out disposable products with citizens and conduct various citizen participation campaigns that can be practiced in daily life. Through this comprehensive plan, Seoul expects to create about 70,000 jobs by 2026, with a production inducement effect of 20 trillion won and a value-added inducement effect of 8 trillion won.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "To respond to the climate crisis threatening human survival, we have prepared a comprehensive climate change response plan based on the characteristics of a large city," adding, "Today's actions will determine the future of Seoul and our future. We will faithfully implement this comprehensive plan to overcome the climate crisis and achieve the global task of carbon neutrality by 2050."

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