S.Korea to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 pct by 2030

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the country will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 level by 2030.

Moon made the remark during a meeting on carbon neutrality, saying that the enhanced 2030 nationally determined contribution (NDC) represents the country's strong will towards carbon neutrality.

The 2030 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions was sharply up from the previous 26.3 percent.

Moon confirmed the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, noting that South Korea, as a responsible member of the international society, will join the global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality.

The 2050 carbon neutrality commission, composed of government officials and civilian experts, proposed the 2050 carbon neutrality scenario.

The scenario offered to stop coal-fired power generation in order to minimize carbon emissions from the process of electricity and heat production, while adopting the hydrogen-reduction steel manufacturing in the steel producing process.

It proposed that fossil fuel and resources, which are used in the process of cement, chemical and oil refining, should be transformed to renewable fuel and resources, while enhancing energy efficiency in the building sector with zero-energy buildings and green remodeling.

For the transportation sector, it suggested to enlarge the supply rate of non-pollutant vehicles to over 85 percent and transform to environment-friendly shipping system.

It proposed to contain greenhouse gas emissions in the farming sector by reducing the use of chemical fertilizer, improving farming methods, providing low- or zero-carbon fishing ships and conducting low-carbon livestock management through the resource circulation of livestock night soil.

South Korea's greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 648.69 million tons in 2020, down 7.3 percent from the previous year. The emissions peaked at 727.69 million tons in 2018, according to the environment ministry.