South Korea - The Korea Times

Opportunities for environmental challenges (40)

The following are excerpts from a forum of experts in environmental studies sponsored by the Korea Institute of Public Administration. – ED. Park Eung-kyuk, Ph.D., president Korea Institute of Public Administration Owing to the fact that high-rises tend to use an enormous amount of energy, they must be levied with special taxes when construction permits are approved. The energy consumed at COEX, a major convention and exhibition center in southern Seoul, is equivalent to that used in the city of Uijongbu with a population of 600,000. As in developed countries, Korea must move in the direction of using small vehicles and increase taxes on large cars by a significant margin so that owners of smaller ones can be provided with an advantage. Another simple measure that can be taken to preserve the environment is to reduce the amount of water used when flushing the toilet, which is an average of 12 liters, by differentiating between lighter and heavier use. There is a legendary story that the late President Park Chung-hee inserted a brick in the toilet basin

Jun 25, 2012

‘Making future we want together’ (39)

The following is an edited version of remarks by President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday morning KST. – ED. Since the 1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development was held 20 years ago, we are now witnessing the successful opening of the summit here in Rio de Janeiro. So I would like to offer my congratulations. In the 20 years since, the world has experienced many changes. The accelerated pace of the global economy has greatly increased the size of the global economy. On the other hand, as we can see from the recurring crisis and polarization, we are experiencing not just opportunities for growth but also vulnerabilities. However, a greater change is taking place. And that is global warming. The rapid pace of climate change is shaking the very nexus of life, from water to energy to food resources. Desertification is spreading rapidly while biodiversity is rapidly decreasing. Surely, this is not the future we dreamt of at Rio+20 years ago. Surel

Jun 21, 2012

Smart grid for smart energy (38)

By Kim Joong-kyum KEPCO is all about green and smart technology. It was a great privilege to receive a prize for our integrated next-generation power distribution system at the Green Energy Awards. It was in recognition of our dedicated efforts to invest and promote green energy – including renewable energy – and the contribution that we can make to the development of the energy industry. KEPCO won the award, given by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, among tough competition for its integrated next-generation smart power distribution system. Green and smart technology This is perhaps the result of KEPCO’s relentless efforts in research and development in green and smart technology, including new recycled energy, clean energy, micro grids and smart grids. Through these research and development programs aimed at low-carbon green growth, KEPCO is securing a strong position in foreign markets, providing diversified technological solutions and creating profit-making business models. The purs

Jun 18, 2012

Ocean pollution and int’l cooperation (37)

By Choi Yearn-hong The sea is one, but nations want to divide and conquer it. The ocean does not acknowledge national boundary lines, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) or other political demarcations. As a matter of fact, the sea ridicules and denies the existence of things people make. Nations want to remake and expand their own ocean territories – because they contain living and mineral resources – by inventing EEZs in and under the sea. But fish freely migrate, so do tsunamis, because they enjoy the freedom of the currents and waves. Nations do not always agree with each other over every coastline, sovereign control of waters, EEZs and where continental shelves begin and end. Nations invest millions of dollars to exploit ocean resources and securing military power on the sea, to study sea beds in order to justify their claims over a continental shelf. We cannot divide the sea and draw lines on the water. Water evaporates, producing clouds and rain for the living things on land. The ocean appears to ridicule the wisdom of humankind in the 21st century. N

Jun 14, 2012

The marvels of green construction (36)

Green Tomorrow is a sustainable building that maintains ??or ?1?number in the overall annual energy balance by reducing energy consumption through implementation of optimized energy performance strategies and by generating more energy than the energy required through on-site renewable systems. Green Tomorrow is designed to reduce the building energy use up to 56 percent when compared to other conventional houses. Such a high number could be achieved due to appropriate building orientation, high-efficiency insulated walls, windows and doors. The remaining 44 percent of the required energy can be obtained from on-site renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic panels, which makes Green Tomorrow consume no fossil fuel energy in result. Especially, Green Tomorrow received the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the first time in South Korea, through not only zero energy consumption but also zero carbon emission with using sustainable materials such as recycled woods, bio-fusion materials

Jun 11, 2012

‘Green growth is a revolutionary paradigm shift’ (35)

The folllowing is the full text of an interview with former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo. – ED. The Korea Times: What in your perception is green growth? Han Seung-soo: Green growth is a new growth paradigm different from traditional quantity-oriented fossil fuel-dependent growth. So it has to be initiated directly by the government. On the growth paradigm shift, the government has to be a leader while the private sector is a follower. Once the government sets the strategy in motion, then there will be incentives for the private sector to join in. Green growth is a revolutionary paradigm shift and a revolution does not take place in the market. The government needs to take the initiative to lead the green revolution. Green growth cannot be achieved if the national and global economy is left to the free market. So the government needs to play a role in providing economic incentives and disincentives, subsidies, regulations and other macroeconomic planning tools, especially in developing countries. KT: What, in your opinion, is Korea’s position on the global stage in

Jun 7, 2012

Addressing challenges with integrated policy (34)

Climate change affects all areas of the globe, some parts more than others. The Arctic is such an area. Problems must be dealt with, but there might also be opportunities to seize. Norway has developed an integrated policy for the Arctic, using resources in a sustainable way, furthering the international legal order and international co-operation. By Torbjørn Holthe The High North is Norway’s number one foreign policy priority. On Nov. 18, 2011, a White Paper, The High North-Vision and policy instruments, was released to present a coherent, long-term Norwegian policy. The Norwegian government’s High North policy is based on four overriding objectives listed below: ―Ensuring peace, stability and predictability ―Ensuring integrated, ecosystem-based management and sustainable use of resources ―Strengthening international cooperation and the international legal order ―Strengthening the basis for employment, value creation and welfare throughout the county Previously, there were few countries or major economic actors outside the region that were engaged in Arctic area

Jun 4, 2012

Can policies prevent environmental accidents? (33)

While accidents, or incidents, affecting the quality of water should not occur, they brought about fundamental changes to environmental policies for the better. By Lee Kyoo-yong Environmental policies in Korea, particularly those relating to water pollution, bear significant impact on reducing the incidence of accidents and other matters of concern regarding our water supplies. Accelerated economic growth meant that the importance of environmental policies took a backseat during the 1980s and 90s and this imposed a major obstacle to establishing methods of preventing “accidents.” This was caused by the conservative policies of budget agencies and complaints from residents, as well as powerful lobbying from corporations to ease environmental regulations. There were more than 100 water quality-related incidents in the 1990s but this contracted to around 50 in the 2000s, most of which are associated with leaks of hazardous materials and the extinction of fish in some areas. Clean-water policies In 1989, metallic substances, bacteria, ammonia and abnormal lev

May 31, 2012

Green energy growing in Arab World (32)

“Even with the lack of viabilities on short-term economic impact, we managed to adopt the best technologies for our environment.” By Thani Al-Zeyoudi In the United Arab Emirates, we believe in realizing our potential. This belief is why we’re striving to become one of the best countries in the world, part of our national UAE Vision 2021 strategy. It’s also the driving force behind our pioneering efforts to build a green economy. In achieving this sustainable development, both environmentally and economically, the UAE is facing unique challenges. Our harsh desert climate means heavy energy usage for air-conditioning and water desalinization, which we rely upon for 99 percent of our fresh water consumption. And given our exponential population growth, national electricity demand has risen 500 percent over the last twenty years. Also, our industrial structure and production capacities are very energy intensive. We have to build roads, bridges and infrastructure, elements that are already in place in other developed nations. Nonetheless, we find inspiration in the challen

May 28, 2012

Achieving shared growth through green ODA (31)

What is needed is the financial and technical support of developed countries to bring in developing countries into this ‘green movement.’ By Park Dae-won The green economy has been drawing greater attention from the international community. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), more commonly known as Rio+20, which runs from June 20 to 22 in Brazil, will discuss ways of making the transition to a green economy. In order to take global measures to achieve a green economy while following the principle of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is to carry “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and their social and economic conditions,” what is needed is the financial and technical support of developed countries to bring in developing countries into this “green movement.” Most people think that aid activities put a priority on poverty eradication in countries that are unable to meet basic human needs. There is likely to be some degree of skepticism at the idea of additionally raising environmental issue

May 24, 2012

Environment & Animals