Gov't to curb diesel cars, coal-fired power plants

Cars emit exhaust gases on a road in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu announced measures to reduce Korea’s fine dust level, including replacing all diesel buses in the country with natural gas-powered ones and shutting down old coal-fired power plants. / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

The government will replace all diesel buses in Korea with natural gas-powered ones and shut down old coal-fired power plants as part of its measures to fight fine dust, Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu said Friday.

An increasing number of compressed natural gas buses will steadily take the place of diesel buses, although Yoon did not specify when the process will be completed.

Moreover, the government will increase the number of fuel stations for cars powered by electricity, hydrogen or hybrid engines to 3,100 (electricity and hydrogen combined) from the current 347 by 2020. By doing so, it aims to boost the total number of so-called green cars on the nation’s roads to 1.5 million from 174,000 over four years.

The government will shut down 10 coal-fired power plants that are old and in poor condition. For the remaining 43 coal power plants and the 11 under construction, it will set up stricter rules for operation and maintenance.

The administration came up with the measures based on a report from the National Institute of Environmental Research that diesel cars and coal-fired power plants are two of the leading causes of fine dust.

“The government understands that the fine dust issue is a serious threat to the people’s health and all related ministries will work together to tackle the problem by all means possible,” Yoon told reporters.

Given that fine dust is not just a national but international issue, Yoon said the government will also expand cooperation with neighboring countries.

The administration initially considered increasing diesel fuel prices, but faced with opposition from Saenuri Party lawmakers who worried about anti-tax sentiment, it canceled the plan.

Fine dust refers to particles that are smaller than 10 micrometers; if a particle is smaller than 2.5 micrometers it is called ultrafine dust. These can easily enter the human body and cause various health issues. Experts say exposure to fine dust increases the chances of developing high blood pressure and lung damage.

Little has been known about the health risks of fine dust specifically to people living in Korea. But according to a study by Seoul National University researchers, there is a correlation between long-term exposure to fine dust and cardiovascular diseases.

However, many health experts say the real danger from fine dust is far larger than known. For example, according to the European Environment Agency, more than 400,000 Europeans die prematurely each year because of air pollution.

This is an alarming fact for Koreans who breathe more foul air every day, according to an EPI survey announced by Yale and Columbia universities last month. Scoring 45.51 out of 100 in the air quality category, Korea was ranked 173rd out of 180 countries.

Many environmentalists warn that the long-term damage from air pollution, though invisible, is huge, urging the government to come up with more stronger and practical measures.