Developing countries take emissions seriously

By Kang Hyun-kyung

In the past, developing countries were passive regarding global efforts to fight against climate change because some of them believed that cutting emissions was none of their business.

But some of them, especially nations that have achieved rapid economic growth, began to take the issue seriously in recent years because they realized that a strategy of doing nothing would deal a blow to their economies, according to an expert.

These countries began to see opportunities in policy responses to stop climate change and this made it easier for the international community to rally support from within, according to Chung Suh-yong, a professor at Korea University in Seoul.

“Once eco-friendly technologies are deployed, profits come naturally,” he said during a keynote speech to the Sustainable City Seminar hosted by the French Embassy and French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Seoul Metropolitan Government building on June 1.

Chung cited light-emitting diode (LED) lighting as an example, noting that using LED bulbs helps customers save one-tenth of the electricity consumed.

“There are a variety of options for environmentally friendly technologies,” he said pointing to a PowerPoint slide he prepared for the seminar. “Once some of these technologies are deployed, not only do customers benefit from the technologies but companies that produce those technologies will also make money,” he said.

Since 1992 when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted, Chung said, little progress has been made in the global fight against climate change. The perception that policy responses to cut emissions are cost-ineffective was behind the lackluster progress, he said.

But the shift in their perception was identified in the Copenhagen summit in 2009 and countries such as China and India have taken measures to cut emissions, according to Chung.

“In Korea, we call such efforts low-carbon green growth and it has become one of the policy priorities since the Lee Myung-bak government. Countries call their initiatives differently, but the notion behind their drive is same. They strive to cut emissions and achieve economic growth while not hurting the eco-system,” he said.

The seminar came months before the global climate change gathering in Paris in December.

According to the French Embassy, approximately 40,000 people from all across the world will join the event.

“The goal of the Paris summit is to draw up a concrete agreement detailing measures to cut emissions,” French Ambassador Jerome Pasquier said through an interpreter during the speech to the event.

The envoy noted that the global fight against climate change is not something that can be further delayed.

“Experts agree that human activities are mainly responsible for climate change, its impact knows no border and that now is the time for all countries across the globe to act to stop it,” he said.

David-Pierre Jalicon, FKCCI chairman, French business people and academics joined the seminar.