• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.382-390
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• 2012

Global warming has been hot issue world wide. Korea has been dealing with the global issue under the slogan of low carbon and green-growth such as setting national greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and allocation to each industrial sector. Infrastructure construction, in which enormous social overhead capital (SOC) is input, has great role as one of the actions. Road is one of the representative infrastructure and large amount of resources is utilized in its construction, operation and maintenance stage. The estimation methodology of life cycle carbon emissions was developed and applied to a case study of highway currently under construction in this study. Also, total carbon emissions of all the highway in South Korea at present (2009) and cumulative carbon emissions from 2009 to 2020 were estimated using the results of case study.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.61-72
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• 2014

This paper analyzed transition pathways toward a low carbon society in Korea to meet global $2^{\circ}C$ climate target. Lower economic growth, industrial structure change, enhance of energy demand management, decarbonization of power sector, and replacement of low carbon fuel could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from fuel combustion in 2050 by 67% against in 2011, or by 74% against in BAU (Business-As-Usual). Lower economic growth contributes to 13% of cumulative emission reduction relative to BAU, industrial structure change 9%, enhance of energy demand management 72%, decarbonization of power sector 5% and replacement of low carbon fuel 1% respectively. Final energy consumption in 2050 needs to be reduced to 50% relative to 2011, or to 41% relative to BAU. Nuclear, coal and renewable energy represent 31%, 40%, 2% respectively among electricity generation in 2011, but 38%, 2%, 32% in 2050. CCS represents 23% of total generation in 2050. Emission intensity of electricity in 2050 was decreased to 19% relative to 2011, or to 24% relative to BAU. Primary energy in 2050 was decreased to 64% compared to 2011, or to 44% compared to BAU. Final energy consumption, primary energy supply and GHG emission from fuel combustion from 1990 to 2011 increased by 176%, 197%, 146%. Radical change from historical trend is required to transit toward a low carbon society by 2050. Appropriate economic growth, structural change to non-energy intensive industries, energy technology research, development and deployment (RD&D) in terms of enhancement of energy efficiency and low carbon energy supply technologies, and fuel change to electricity and renewable energy are key instruments.