Abuse of power under scorcher

By Park Moo-jong

Extreme heat is engulfing the Earth this summer as the worldwide phenomenon of climate change is causing global warming.

Meteorological authorities across the world are busy issuing heat alerts day after day. Heat waves that have gripped large parts of the Middle East and the central and eastern parts of the United States since last week have reached temperatures far exceeding seasonal averages.

The blistering 54 degrees Celsius reached a week ago at Mitrabah, Kuwait, is probably the highest ever reached in the Eastern hemisphere and Asia, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

The U.N. apparatus already confirmed that "we are on course for the hottest year on record" as decades-long trends of climate change are reaching new climaxes, fuelled by the strong EL Nino.

South Korea is no exception. Yet, the problem is that we feel hotter, sweating buckets, though the mercury marks around 35 degrees Centigrade, due to dense humidity.

Adam Smith (1723-1790), a Scottish moral philosopher and pioneer of political economy, in his signature work "The Wealth of Nations," defined consumption as the "sole end and purpose of production."

For Smith, consumption is dubbed a virtue. Yet, common sense tells us that it has become excessive, while it should be sound. Advocating this basic and simple economic theory must be like teaching one's grandmother to suck eggs.

South Korea is a country with only a limited amount of natural resources and produces not a single drop of oil, the magnificent source of energy for human society.

As the unrivaled heat wave has been reaching its peak, energy consumption to lower indoor temperatures has been snowballing, threatening power supplies.

We had the bitter experience of a temporary rolling blackout on Sept. 15, 2011, due to unseasonably high temperatures that pushed up demand to what the authorities called "dangerous levels," forcing them to temporarily cut power.

Two weeks ago, Cho Hwan-ik, president of the Korea Electric Power Corp., expressed deep concern about the soaring demand for power at a breakfast meeting with some senior journalists, warning of a possible power outage coming in mid-August.

Asked how to prevent such a debacle, the head of the state-run power supplier stressed the need for the public's cooperation, not to speak of every possible effort by the government to supply power as usual.

In fact, we are living in a very convenient society today thanks to the outstanding growth of the nation over the past half century. Almost all buildings and apartments are well equipped with good air conditioning systems.

But we are too addicted to these cooling devices. Namely, we are abusing them as electricity rates are too low compared to those of other countries.

Why don't you take a short walk downtown, though it is still sweltering out there? Surprisingly, many of stores on Myeong-dong Street open their doors wide to solicit customers, especially foreign tourists. Of course, "cold" wind from state-of-the-art air conditioners, dubbed "aircon" here, welcome the guests.

There is a reason why power consumption is sharply increasing with demand expected to break the record next month, according to KEPCO officials.

Lights are not turned off in most deserted offices during lunchtime and air conditioners are left in full operation. Most computers are on all day long.

Perhaps the worst case of energy abuse can be witnessed at hundreds of lighting stores at Yongsan Electronics Market, Cheonggyechon Street, Jongno, Uljiro and elsewhere in Seoul, and also in other cities across the nation.

A "vicious" circle of energy wasting takes place, and there is no wonder why. Hundreds of various lighting fixtures, including neon signs, are kept on day and night at every store, eventually warming the display rooms. To reduce the heat from the bulbs and lamps, air conditioners have to be turned up to full capacity.

No one is allowed to intervene. "It's none of your business. It's me who pays the electricity charges," one of the shopkeepers told me, complaining that he has to do so "to compete" with the neighboring stores.

These are mere examples of energy misuse here.

I asked KEPCO CEO Cho again, "What do you think of this kind of power abuse? Have you ever discussed this matter with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy?"

It seemed that he was not able to give me a good answer. He just said that there was no legal device against such a practice, indicating that an effective option might be a hike in power charges, which are low, compared to the averages of OECD member countries.

Ten years ago, I posed similar questions to ministry officials. Nothing has changed, so far.

As is well known, South Korea imports 96 percent of its total energy resources and is ranked ninth in the world in terms of the rate of energy consumption. In petroleum spending per capita, it is first.

The sizzling heat wave will continue to grip the nation through August and power consumption will be increasing "automatically" to "dangerous" levels. The possible shortage of electricity is no longer "none of my business." Neither is the consumption of energy a virtue.

KEPCO officials say that raising indoor temperature by an average of one degree across the nation to around 26 to 28 degrees Centigrade could reduce the need for one nuclear reactor.

We already have a really good tool to beat the heat: The folding fan we can take anywhere with us.

Park Moo-jong is The Korea Times advisor. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter for the daily since 1974. He can be reached at moojong@ktimes.com or emjei29@gmail.com.