By Na Jeong-ju
Staff reporter
Korea launched a global think tank tasked to promote green growth and tackle climate change, Wednesday, hoping to lead international efforts to make green industries the main drivers of economic growth and new sources of jobs.
The country plans to develop the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) into a U.N.-backed international agency by 2012, making it the first such organization to be headquartered here.
The institute will gather scholars, scientists and civil society leaders from around the world to come up with workable solutions to global warming and provide a technological roadmap on "low-carbon" growth, Cheong Wa Dae said.
South Korea unveiled the plan at the 2nd East Asia Climate Forum, held in Seoul.
"The GGGI is the 'strategic foothold' for both developed and developing countries in preparing for a greener future. It represents our resolve to put words into action," President Lee Myung-bak said in a keynote address during the inauguration ceremony.
"The institute will play a central role in coordinating green growth policies among countries and developing related technologies. I firmly believe that the industries will spur economic growth and create numerous jobs."
In a congratulatory video message, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Korea's initiatives on climate change will set an example for many countries.
Nicholas Stern, a professor of the London School of Economics and Political Science, said he expects the GGGI to become a global center that presents a new growth paradigm for the international community.
The GGGI reflects the country's vision of becoming a Mecca of green growth.
The institute has formed a board of directors, including Professor Stern and Thomas Heller, a professor of Stanford University, and chosen former South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo as its first chairman.
The move came after Lee proposed the creation of such a global body to help the world share experiences and policies on green growth at the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, last December.
At the meeting, Lee announced a bid to host the 2012 climate talks to help the world chart a post-Kyoto Protocol roadmap on greenhouse gas reduction.
Seoul also pledged to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent from levels predicted for 2020, becoming the first emerging economy to set up a reduction goal.
"The GGGI is part of our plans to become a global leader in green growth," said Kim Sang-hyup, presidential secretary for national future and vision. "Our first project is to help Indonesia, Brazil and Ethiopia set up their own carbon reduction goals and implement related policies."
The government will continue efforts to reduce carbon emissions, while developing new green growth models that will ensure sustainable development and more jobs, Kim said.