Seoul expected to aim for 4 pct greenhouse gas cut by 2020

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will likely set its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target at 4 percent of the 2005 level in a bid to transform itself into a "green" country, government officials said Thursday.

A presidential committee on green growth has been reviewing three options on the
reduction level.
South Korea emitted 594 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2005, ranking ninth
among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member
nations.
The government will opt for the 4-percent plan, anticipating that green industry
will become a key growth engine, officials said.
The business community has argued that the 4-percent target is too severe for
them to meet, expressing concerns that the heavy cost involved would seriously
undermine their competitiveness.
The government plan also would make it mandatory for building owners to reduce
energy consumption, including a 60 percent cut for temperature control by 2017.
The plan is scheduled to be approved by the Cabinet on Nov. 17.
brk@yna.co.kr
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