Gov`t unveils action plan for `green growth`

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with President Lee's comments, more details)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- The government will push for legislation this year to
control pollution by capping allowable greenhouse emissions and introducing
official statistics on carbon output, a presidential committee said Wednesday.
The move is part of a wider effort to cut South Korea's carbon emissions by 30
percent from a 2020 forecast, or a 4 percent reduction from 2005 levels.
South Korea, one of Asia's main economies, has emerged as a leader in the global
campaign to fight climate change.
In 2009, the Lee Myung-bak administration set out a five-year green-growth plan
that calls for the country to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product each
year on developing environmentally friendly businesses and projects.
The National Assembly passed the Basic Act on Low Carbon and Green Growth to
support the initiative.
"The world is paying attention to the South Korean government's positive vision
for (achieving) economic growth while combating climate change," Lee said at a
meeting to discuss this year's priority policy for green growth.
He called for the public to actively join the government-led campaign. "It is
time for each person to act. I hope South Korea will take the lead in this
field," he said.
In its report to Lee, meanwhile, the Presidential Committee on Green Growth said,
"The government has decided to push for the introduction of a law on emissions
trading and a greenhouse gas inventory."
It added the government plans to speed up the development of 10 major green
technologies, including next-generation rechargeable batteries, energy-efficient
light-emitting diodes (LED), solar energy, a smart grid, green cars, green
personal computers, advanced light-water nuclear reactors, fuel cells and
high-tech water treatment systems.
In addition, South Korea will strengthen international cooperation to provide
developing nations with cleaner water resources and push for a joint study with
the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on
green-growth strategy, the committee said.
The government will also provide tax incentives for saving energy. Acquisition
and registration taxes will be cut up to 15 percent for housing with high energy
efficiency, and the standard for vehicle taxes will be changed from the current
engine displacement to fuel efficiency or carbon emissions.
The government also plans to introduce 28,000 more environmentally friendly buses
by 2012 and provide various incentives to achieve a 20 percent reduction in food
waste by the same year, according to the committee.
"We prepared for various measures for green growth last year. This year, we will
put those plans into action and yield results," Kim Hyung-kook, chairman of the
committee told reporters.
In tandem with the government's efforts, leading South Korean steel maker POSCO
has said it will pour a total of 7 trillion won (US$6.4 billion) into renewable
energy businesses. POSCO, which produces about 10 percent of South Korea's gross
carbon dioxide, aims to cut a total of 14 million tons of greenhouse gas
emissions by 2020.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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