Ministry vows more green energy plans

Environment Minister Kim Wan-sup speaks to the press during Wednesday's press conference at Government Complex Sejong. (Ministry of Environment)

Environment Minister Kim Wan-sup said Wednesday that the government would find more ways to switch to renewable energy sources instead of being content with a recent feat of reducing 4.4 percent of emissions last year.

Kim’s recent remarks come after the Greenhouse Inventory and Research Center affiliated with the Environment Ministry announced Tuesday that Korea’s greenhouse gas emissions, calculated in CO2 equivalents, were estimated at 624.2 million tons in 2023, marking a second consecutive yearly decline compared to the figure in 2022, which stood at 642.8 million tons.

“Korea has seen significant feats in economic growth in recent years, but nonetheless, recent studies have shown that greenhouse gas emissions are continuously decreasing,” Kim said.

Kim mentioned that the government would continue to work on transitioning to carbon-free energy, such as nuclear energy and adopting an energy mix strategy -- which refers to the combination of different energy sources used to meet a certain region’s energy demand, including electricity, heat and fuel for transportation.

“While these efforts to transition to carbon-free energy are important to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, realistically speaking, the ministry recognizes that such transitions cannot be made easily,” said Kim.

“However, the ministry will put in its utmost efforts to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions yearly based on the government’s plan by conducting further discussions with relevant stakeholders and experts.”

By Lee Jung-joo(lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com)