Event to remind Korea of green growth commitment
GGGI director general Yvo de Boer
By Kim Se-jeong
The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), established in 2012 under former President Lee Myung-bak, was a symbol of Korea’s low carbon, green growth drive. During his presidency, Lee showed international leadership by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and directed the domestic economy on to a green path.
However, since President Park Geun-hye was elected in 2013, green growth has become an old-fashioned topic and Korea’s international green leadership has disappeared as well.
The GGGI remains committed to its mandate to transfer knowledge about sustainable ways of green growth from the developed world to the developing world.
“Korea should feel proud of what it has done for green growth,” Yvo de Boer, the organization’s director general, said during an interview with The Korea Times.
He hoped that the upcoming international event on Jeju Island in September will remind Korea of its commitment to sustainable growth.
GGGI is inviting all its partners to Jeju Island for the Global Green Growth Week to share their experiences.
“What we want to do is bring together a number of topics that are related to green growth,” said de Boer.
The institute is inviting private sector and international financial institution representatives to discuss financing green business projects. Government representatives from Asia will talk about challenges in transforming energy sources from fossil fuels to renewable ones. Companies will also showcase their green technologies.
He is encouraging Korean companies to participate. “The global economy is moving in a different direction. More companies see renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability as opportunities to develop their businesses.”
Companies such as LG and Hanwha are leading the private sector in Korea with battery storage technology and solar power panels, but he said there is a new trove of opportunities for other Korean companies to venture into.
De Boer said he is proud to host the event on Jeju Island, which aims to be carbon free by 2030.
“Jeju is committed to green growth. It is a good example of a province that is seeking to go green as a core engine of its growth,” he said.
De Boer hopes to see Korea make green growth commitment again.
“My sense is that in Korea there’s much fear in making this leap to the future,” he said. “Korea’s resource is brains of the people. Korea is perfectly positioned to capitalize on what will drive future economic growth, instead of hanging on to what drove economic growth in the past.”
GGGI is currently running 34 projects in 24 countries. The international organization is advising the United Arab Emirates on ways to diversify its oil-dominant economy and reduce its reliance on oil for electricity. In Indonesia, the GGGI is helping the national government realize that biomass is a viable source of energy, replacing coals and trees.