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Tourism sector joins efforts to go carbon neutral
Seen is Yeondae Island in Tongyeong City, South Gyeongsang Province, where the Korea Tourism Organization will run a zero-emissions tour program on June 18 and 25. Courtesy of the Korea Tourism Organization
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) will launch a tour program aimed at eliminating carbon emissions, in cooperation with Tongyeong City in South Gyeongsang Province, in a bid to join worldwide efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions in order to resolve the climate change crisis.
The “Carbon-free Trip” is a trial tour program that will take place twice, on June 18 and 25, on Yeondae Island in Tongyeong City.
The KTO has begun recruiting participants for the program, with the goal of recruiting 20 teams ― with each team being comprised of two to four people.
It is a two-day trip that will take place at an eco-friendly park on the island, where solar energy generation facilities were established in 2011.
Each team will camp out at the park, complying with the government's social distancing guidelines aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19.
During their stay, the participants will be asked not to use fossil fuels or disposable products, as well as not to dispose of non-recyclable waste, in the aim of traveling without producing carbon emissions.
A chef from a local restaurant will offer a cooking class, teaching how to cook eco-friendly dishes using local ingredients.
Participants will also be encouraged to collect plastic waste while walking around the island, and to upcycle such waste for use in decorating the island.
Other events include an “unplugged concert” that will use solar power generated on the island, walking eco trails with ecologists and observing the stars at night.
Park Cheol-beom, head of the KTO's South Gyeongsang Province branch who planned the trial tour program, said, “We tried to organize a tour program that will help participants continue to practice living without carbon emissions, even after they return to their normal lives.”
The tour program comes at a time when the government here is making efforts to cut the emissions of greenhouse gases in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
During his opening ceremony speech for the P4G Seoul Summit on May 30, President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed Korea's commitment to further raising its carbon emissions reduction target ahead of achieving its goal of going carbon neutral by 2050, and unveiled Seoul's plan to bid on hosting the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023.
P4G stands for “Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030,” and is a public-private initiative to tackle climate change and other sustainable development challenges.
In 2019, Korea was selected as the host of the biennial climate summit, which was initially slated for 2020. The event was postponed to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.