Journal of the Korean Geographical Society (대한지리학회지)

The Korean Geographical Society (대한지리학회)
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Neoliberal Energy Policy and the Limits to 'Green Growth'

신자유주의적 에너지정책과 '녹색성장'의 한계

  • 최병두 (대구대학교 지리교육과)
  • Received : 2010.03.10
  • Accepted : 2010.03.11
  • Published : 2010.03.31
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Abstract

The current government tries to pursue a series of energy plans and strategies which have been recently established under the banner of 'green growth'. Although there have been several critical comments on the energy policy, the structural background under which the energy policy has been established and implemented has not yet been scrutinized. This paper understands the current government's strategy for 'green growth' and energy policy as a process of neoliberalization. In particular, the energy policy is characterized as industrialization, marketization, technologization, and financialization of energy, which bring about a lot of detailed issues. This kind of 'green growth' strategy is far from the model of sustainable development, and rather seems to be well interpreted in terms of what Harvey calls 'accumulation by dispossession'. As the government's strategy for 'green growth' and energy policy denies the roll of citizens and civil society which would mediate and arbitrate the contradiction between environment preservation and economic growth, and conflicts between market mechanism and state intervention, so alternatives to the 'green growth' strategy should be orientated to a citizen-participating and civil society-led energy policy.

최근 정부는 '녹색성장'의 기치 아래 일련의 에너지관련 계획과 전략들을 추진하고자 한다. 이러한 정부의 에너지 정책에 대해 여러 측면에서 비판적 검토가 있었지만 이러한 정책이 추동되는 구조적 배경에 대해서는 제대로 고찰되지 않았다. 이 논문은 현정부의 '녹색성장' 전략과 그 일환으로 추진되는 에너지정책을 신자유주의화과정으로 이해한다. 특히 정부의 에너지 정책은 에너지의 산업화, 시장화, 기술화, 금융화를 기본적 특성으로 하고 있으며 이로 인해 많은 세부 문제들을 유발하고 있다. 이러한 '녹색성장' 전략은 지속가능한 발전 모형과는 거리가 멀고 하비가 신자유주의화의 전형으로 제시한 '탈취에 의한 축적'의 개념으로 해석된다. 정부의 '녹색성장' 전략과 에너지 정책은 환경보전과 경제성장 간 모순 시장 메커니즘과 국가 개입 간 갈등을 중재할 수 있는 시민(사회)의 역할을 부정한다는 점에서 '녹색성장' 전략에 대한 대안은 시민이 참여하는 시민사회 주도형 에너지 정책을 지향해야 할 것이다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Supported by : 대구대학교

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