• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.233-241
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• 2015

In 2014, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to submit the Intended Nationality Determined Contributions (INDCs) at the conference of parties held in Lima, Peru. Then, the South Korean government submitted the INDCs including GHGs reduction target and reduction potential on July, 2015. The goal of this study is to predict GHGs emission and to analyze reduction potential in agricultural sector of Korea. Activity data to estimate GHGs emission was forecast by Korea Agricultural Simulation Model (KASMO) of Korea Rural Economic Institute and estimate methodology was taken by the IPCC and guideline for MRV (Measurement, Reporting and Verification) of national greenhouse gases statistics of Korea. The predicted GHGs emission of agricultural sectors from 2021 to 2030 tended to decrease due to decline in crop production and its gap was less after 2025. Increasing livestock numbers such as sheep, horses, swine, and ducks did not show signigicant impact the total GHGs emission. On a analysis of the reduction potential, GHGs emission was expected to reduce $253Gg\;CO_{2-eq}$. by 2030 with increase of mid-season water drainage area up to 95% of total rice cultivation area. The GHGs reduction potential with intermittent drainage technology applied to 10% of the tatal paddy field area, mid-drainage and no organic matter would be $92Gg\;CO_{2-eq}$. by 2030.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.729-738
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• 2017

With the signing of the Paris Agreement, which is the new climate change agreement at the end of 2015, it will have a great impact on Korea environmental policy. The construction industry, which accounts for 42% of Korea's total $CO_2$ emissions, has been implementing various policies to improve the environmental problems. However, it is only applying passively to other projects except eco-friendly building certification. This is because most of the eco-related systems are based on building facilities. Therefore, there is a need for a new eco - friendly design evaluation model that can be widely applied not only to architecture but also to civil engineering facilities. In this study, a new model is developed based on the existing VE model, which adds new factors to evaluate the environmental friendliness, potential environmental pollution concept and environmental risk of facilities. This model is an eco-friendly design evaluation model that enables decision makers to effectively select alternative environmental criteria at the design stage. As a result of the case analysis of the block retaining wall and the alternative retaining wall, the value of the eco - friendly value of the alternative was 1.026 times higher than the original one. If this model is used at the design stage, it is expected to contribute not only to the construction of environmentally friendly facilities but also to the reduction of carbon emissions.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.668-681
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• 2013

The Korean government announced a national mid-term target to reduce 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from business-as usual (BAU) level by 2020 in a voluntary and independent manner. In this study, we examined the $CO_2$ mitigation potential and conducted an economic effect analysis of green living actions in households in Korea. We also proposed some ways to implement green life to achieve the national target. If green lifestyle takes root in households nationwide, $CO_2$ emission would be reduced to 27.3% of the emission in 2007. This would save the country about 4.93 trillion won per year and each household could save about 300,000 won per year, which accounts for about 0.5% of GDP (as of 2007). Considering the five-year plan for green growth to invest 2% of GDP in green growth every year, this would not only reduce the economic burden on households, industries and the country but also increase economic growth potential by reinvesting the saved resources into green growth. Heating and lighting would be the greatest contributor to GHG mitigation of green life in the residential sector. It means we could achieve the national goal by reducing unnecessary heating and lighting and using energy-saving electric home appliances. The implementation of green living actions would reduce a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately relieving the burden on businesses to reduce GHG emissions. And it is one of the most cost-effective mitigation tools in order to achieve the mid-term GHG mitigation goal.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.667-676
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• 2013

This study analyzed the energy demand, greenhouse gas emission and greenhouse gas reduction potential of Electronic Electrical components company. The LEAP model targeting long term energy plan was used to establish the most efficient plan for the companies by examining the climate change policy of government and the countermeasures by companies. A scenario was created by having 11 greenhouse gases reduction plans to be introduced from 2011 as the basic plan. Regarding input data, energy consumption by business place and by use, number of employee from 2009 to 2012, land area and change in number of business places were utilized. The study result suggested that approximately 13,800 TJ of energy will be spent in 2020, which is more than 2 times of 2012 energy consumption. When the integrated scenario based on the reduction plan of companies would be enforced, approximately 3,000 TJ will be reduced in 2020. The emission of greenhouse gases until 2020 was forecasted as approximately 760,000 ton $CO_2eq$. When the integrated scenario would be enforced, the emission will be approximately 610,000 ton $CO_2eq$, which is decrease by approximately 150,000 ton $CO_2eq$. This study will help the efficient responding of eElectronic Electrical components company in preparing detail report on objective management system and enforcement plan. It will also contribute in their image as environment-friendly companies by properly responding to the regulation reinforcement of government and greenhouse gases emission target based on environment policy.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.4
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• pp.630-638
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• 2011

This study aims to verify the economic validity of the REDD project in North Korea by estimating the potential carbon credits and the cost of REDD project. The REDD potential credits of North Korea are estimated based on the international statistics of forest area and population from 1990 to 2010, and the cost of REDD project is estimated indirectly by annual land opportunity cost of agriculture assuming that South Korea will aid the food production per area in North Korea. When the 25% reduction scenario was applied to the annual deforestation rate in North Korea, the potential REDD credits were estimated to be $4,232million{\sim}5,290milliontCO_2eq.$ for 20 years. It would account for 28~35% of South Korea's national medium-term greenhouse gas reduction target. On the other hand, the break-even price of REDD project was calculated as the profit of agriculture in the land available by forest conversion in North Korea. It was estimated to be 19.19$/$tCO_2eq.$ when the non-permanence risk of forest conserved through a REDD contract is assumed to be 20%. This price is higher than the price of REDD carbon credit 5$/$tCO_2eq.$ dealt in the 2010 voluntary carbon market, leading to no economic feasibility. However, REDD project provides co-benefits besides climate mitigation. As previous studies indicate, the break-even price is lower than 20$/$tCO_2eq.$, which is the social marginal cost of greenhouse gas emissions by loss of forest. Therefore REDD in North Korea can be justified against the social benefits. The economic feasibility of REDD project in North Korea can be largely influenced by the risk percentage. Thus, North Korean REDD project needs a strong guarantee and involvement by the government and people of North Korea to assure the project's economic feasibility.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.578-587
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• 2022

Korea, as the world's 7^th largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has raised the national greenhouse gas reduction target as international regulations have been strengthened. As it is possible to utilize coastal and marine ecosystems as important nature-based solutions (NbS) for implementing climate change mitigation or adaptation plans, the blue carbon ecosystem is now receiving attention. Blue carbon refers to carbon that is deposited and stored for a long period after carbon dioxide (CO₂) is absorbed as biomass by coastal ecosystems or oceanic ecosystems through photosynthesis. Currently, there are only three blue carbon ecosystems officially recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses. However, the results of new research on the high CO₂ sequestration and storage capacity of various new blue carbon sinks, such as seaweeds, microalgae, coral reefs, and non-vegetated tidal flats, have been continuously reported to the academic community recently. The possibility of IPCC international accreditation is gradually increasing through scientific verification related to calculations. In this review, the current status and potential value of seaweeds, seagrass fields, and non-vegetated tidal flats, which are sources of blue carbon on the east coast, are discussed. This paper confirms that seaweed resources are the most effective NbS in the East Sea of Korea. In addition, we would like to suggest the direction of research and development (R&D) and utilization so that new blue carbon sinks can obtain international IPCC certification in the near future.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.154-154
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• 2011

화석연료의 가격 및 공급의 불안정과 온실가스감축 국제 규제 강화 등에 대한 대안으로 여기는 신 재생에너지는 높은 초기 투자 부담으로 인하여 관련기술의 연구개발과 보급정책 등 전과정에 걸친 정책 지원체계가 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 지열에너지를 이용하는 지열냉난방기술에 중점을 두고 이에 대한 중장기 정책 포트폴리오 작성을 위한 기술 및 정책적 접근방안을 제시하고자한다. 지열에너지의 가장 큰 특징은 기후 등에 영향을 크게 부하가 변하는 태양광, 풍력 등과 달리 일정한 부하를 유지함으로써 안정적인 에너지공급이 가능하다는 것이다. 또, 품질 측면에서도 화석연료를 이용한 기존의 연료보다 쾌적한 환경을 조성하여 고급에너지로 평가받고 있다. 반면, 설비를 갖추기 위한 천공, 히트펌프 설치 등에 큰 비용이 든다는 단점을 가지고 있다. 현재 히트펌프 제작기술은 국산화를 완료한 상태로 사실상 기술개발에 의한 큰 폭의 원가절감은 기대하기 힘든 상황이다. 하지만, 유사분야인 시스템 에어컨이 표준화 및 대량생산을 통한 시장 보급 확대로 보급단가가 하락한 것을 고려해 볼 때 이를 통한 가격하락은 어느 정도 기대해 볼 수 있을 것으로 생각된다. 에너지 외적인 측면에서 볼 때도 지열에너지의 공급은 상당한 의미를 갖는다. 건물 냉 난방용 이외에 다양한 용도의 개발을 통해 비닐하우스나 온실 등에 지열에너지를 이용할 경우 정부차원에서 농어촌에 대한 지원이 가능하다. 또, 기존의 에너지원을 조달하는데 어려움이 있는 산간, 도서지방에서는 도시지역보다 투자대비 큰 효과를 볼 수 있어 지역간 에너지 불균형 해도에도 도움이 될 수 있다. 이와같은 지열에너지의 특성에 따라 향후 발전방향을 정리해 보았다. 핵심기술인 지열 히트펌프의 산업구조와 시장 보급 확대를 통한 가격하락을 기대한다. 지역개발 및 고립지역에서 타 신 재생에너지와 함께 독립적인 전력, 냉난방 등의 완전 에너지 공급시스템을 갖출 수 있다. 또한 특수 작물 등의 고급 농수산물 생산등의 용도개발을 통해 지열에너지 공급역량을 성장시킬 수 있을 것이다. 이와 함께 중장기 비젼을 제시하기 위해 추진되어야 할 연구과제로는 시장 보급 확대에 따른 가격경쟁력 도달 가능성에 대한 연구를 통해 산업육성 방안 마련, 타 신 재생에너지기술과 복합 설치에 의한 시너지 효과 및 이에따른 초기 투자비 증가에 대한 대책, 보급 잠재량 조사, 지열시스템의 자금 조달 및 관련 정책 검토 등이 있을 수 있다.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.138-149
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• 2008

Rapid accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for the past century leads to acidify the surface ocean and contributes to the global warming as it forms acid in the ocean and it is a green house gas. In order to curb the green house gas emissions, in particular carbon dioxide, various multilateral agreements and programs have been established including UN Convention of Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol for the last decades. Also a number of geo-engineering projects to manipulate the radiation balance of the earth have been proposed both from the science and industrial community worldwide. One of them is ocean fertilization to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the photosynthesis of phytoplankton in the sea. Deliberate fertilization of the ocean with iron or nitrogen to large areas of the ocean has been proposed by commercial sector recently. Unfortunately the environmental consequences of the large scale ocean iron fertilization are not known and the current scientific information is still not sufcient to predict. In 2007, the joint meeting of parties of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 and 1996 Protocol (London Convention/Protocol) has started considering the purposes and circumstances of proposed large-scale ocean iron fertilization operations and examined whether these activities are compatible with the aims of the Convention and Protocol and explore the need, and the potential mechanisms for regulation of such operations. The aim of this paper is to review the current development on the commercial ocean fertilization activities and management regimes in the potential ocean fertilization activities in the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and high seas, respectively, and further to have a view on the emerging international management regime to be London Convention/Protocol in conjunction with a support from the United Nations General Assembly through The United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.279-309
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• 2009

Greenhouse gas emissions should be precisely forecast to reduce the emissions from industrial production processes. This study calculated the direct and indirect $CO_2$ emission intensities of 401 industries using the Input-Output tables 2003 and statistical data on the amount of energy use. This study had some limitations in drawing study findings because overseas data were used given the lack of domestic data. Other limiting factors included the oil distribution problems in the oil refinery sector, re-review of carbon neutral, and insufficient consideration of waste treatment. Nonetheless, this study is very meaningful since the direct and indirect $CO_2$ emission intensities of 401 industries were calculated. Specifically, this study considered from the zero-waste perspective the effects of waste, which attract interest worldwide since coke gas and gas from the steel industry are obtained as byproducts for the first time in Korea. According to the results of the analysis of $CO_2$ emission intensity per industry, typical industries whose indirect $CO_2$ emission intensity is high include crude steel making, Remicon, steel wire rods & track rail, cast iron, and iron reinforcing rods & bar steel. These industries produce products using the raw materials produced in the industrial sector whose $CO_2$ emission intensity is high. The representative industries whose direct $CO_2$ emission intensity is high include cement, pig iron, lime & plaster products, andcoal-based compounds. These industries extract raw ore from nature and refine them into raw materials that are useful in other industries. The findings in this study can be effectively used for the following case: estimation of target $CO_2$ emission reduction level reflecting each industrial sector's characteristics, calculation of potential emission reduction of each policy to reduce $CO_2$ emissions, identification of a firm's $CO_2$ emission level, and setting of the target level of emission reduction. Moreover, the findings in this study can be utilized widely in fields such as System of integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting(SEEA) and Material Flow Analysis(MFA) as the current topic of research in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.127-139
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• 2017

Measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of $CO_2$ based on the eddy covariance technique provide reasonable carbon balance estimates in response to local environmental conditions. In South Korea, the forest ecosystems cover approximately 64% of the total area, thereby strongly affecting regional carbon balances. Cultivated croplands that cover about 17% of the total area should also be considered when calculating the carbon balance of the country. In this study, our objectives were (a) to quantify the range and seasonal variation of NEE at forest ecosystems, including deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, and agricultural ecosystems, including rice paddies and a potato field, in South Korea and (b) to compare NEE at ten Fluxnet sites that have the same or similar ecosystems as found in South Korea. The results showed that the forest and agricultural ecosystems were carbon sinks. In Korea, NEE at the forest ecosystems varied between -31 and $-362gC/m^2/yr$, and NEE at the croplands ranged from -210 to $-248gC/m^2/growing$ season. At the deciduous forest, NEE reached low values in late spring, early summer, and early autumn, while at the coniferous forest, it reached low values in spring, early summer, and mid autumn. The young mixed forest was a much stronger carbon sink than the old-growth deciduous and coniferous forests. During each crop growing season, beet had the lowest NEE value within six crops, followed by wither wheat, maize, rice, potato, and soybean. These results will be useful for designing and applying management strategies for the reduction of $CO_2$ emissions.