Korea bridges developed, developing nations with green growth

By Yi Whan-woo

The 2012 World Conservation Congress will boost the nation to serve as a bridge between developed and developing countries in environmental policies, said Lee Hong-koo, chairman of the organizing committee.

He said that green growth, one of the nation’s major environmental policies, is the key to achieving both economic development and conservation of nature by promoting green technology and products.

“By showing how much we’re focused on achieving the goal, we can build trust in our environmental strategy in the international community,” he said in an interview with The Korea Times. “I hope people around the world recognize our efforts right here on Jeju Island.”

The world has been suffering from rapid climate change as well as economic crises. These problems have made people wonder if they can maintain sustainable development.

Developed countries, including the U.S., European nations and Japan, have sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to cope with climate changes. The recent eurozone crisis, however, has caused rich states to turn their attention away from environmental issues and focus on economic survival.

Moreover, developing nations continue to pursue industrial development that takes place at the expense of the environment.

A number of critics described the Rio+20 summit in June as “not very successful” in drawing commitments from both developed and developing countries for sustainable progress.

This year also marks a turning point for international efforts to cut down on greenhouse gases emissions as the Kyoto Protocol will expire at the end of 2012.

Lee stressed the international community must be required to make more efforts to protect the environment while narrowing the gap between developing and developed countries.

“The 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress will occur at the right time and at the right place,” he said. IUCN stands for the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

This year’s gathering is the first to be held in East Asia.

“East Asia is drawing international attention as it is undergoing the most turbulent and dynamic changes in the world,” he said.

“And two of the world’s economic powerhouses _ China and Japan _ have different stances in their environmental policies as the former still needs to develop its economy while the latter has room to put weight on environmental issues.”

He added that a number of countries already value green growth saying, “I believe every country around the globe can fully trust our policy for sustainable development and adopt it once China and Japan produce successful results in this regard.”

Asked if the congress will present green growth as one of solutions to the environmental problem in a “Jeju Declaration” to be issued at the end of the congress, Lee said, “I don’t see why not, as the policy is beneficial for any country regardless of the economic and environmental circumstances it faces.”

He also said that the organizing committee is ready to impress the participants with unanimous support from various groups in demonstrating the use of renewable energy during the meeting.

“We are also making efforts to turn the congress into a “green congress” by using less paper and more green technology and low-carbon products,” Lee said.

The Korean government has provided 10 billion won ($8.81 million) for the International Convention Center, the congress venue, to set up a photovoltaic power system and energy-saving elevators to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Some domestic corporations and their affiliated institutions have worked together with the organizing committee to out the idea of the green congress into practice.

The Samsung Global Environmental Research Center, affiliated with Samsung Group, has provided 1,500 Galaxy Note tablets and 60 LED TVs.

“One of our goals includes the use of less paper, and those devices will be very helpful as the participants can read documents on electronic devices instead of going through hundreds of paper copies,” he said.

Hyundai Motor has supplied hybrid sedans and electric buses for participants to commute between the convention center and their hotels.

The efforts will raise Korea’s reputation as a leading green economy powerhouse, and will propel the Ministry of Environment and other local environmental agencies to gain momentum in carrying out their policies more effectively, according to Lee.

The IUCN has only one Asian office in Bangkok, and Lee said he hopes Korea will be able to open the body’s East Asian office in Korea.

“Of course, setting up a branch office here would require consent from the IUCN but once it is established, we’ll be able to enhance our status as an environmental leader,” he said.