• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.157-173
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• 2012

It has been argued that investment in basic treatment facilities could have both a direct improvement effect and an indirect diversion effect on water quality. The reason why the investment in basic treatment facilities could have a negative diversion effect is that the investment in treatment facilities could affect a budget-constrained regulatory agency's choice in a way that would perversely encourage the regulated firms' emissions, giving a negative result in terms of water quality. We have reviewed the Korean experience and tested if the treatment facilities have improved water quality since 1991. Using a two-stage least-squares method we have shown that building treatment facilities has contributed to improving the water quality even with consideration of the negative effect through reduced enforcement effort. The model and results draw attention to the importance of optimally balancing efforts to build wastewater treatment facilities with efforts to set and enforce regulatory standards.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.75-80
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• 2018

The problem of water shortages and water related disasters caused by climate change has increased the seriousness of water problems and the importance of water treatment technology capable of securing clean water is expanding. In this study, we analyzed not only the water pollutant generated by the filtration system technology of various water treatment technologies but also the indirect greenhouse gas emissions generation, and analyzed the influence on the environment. The subjects of study are Fabric Filter, Reverse Osmosis System and Pressurized Microfiltration Device which are widely used for water treatment and we analyzed the impact on the environment using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method using the electricity amount necessary for use, the water purification efficiency, the throughput per ton and the cost. The amount of greenhouse gas generated when the Pressurized Microfiltration Device operates for 1 year is $2.15E+04kg\;CO_2-eq$., Fabric Filter is $3.29E+04kg\;CO_2-eq$., and Reverse Osmosis System is $1.68E+05kg\;CO_2-eq$. As a result of analyzing the amount of greenhouse gas generated at the time of purifying 1 ton of the Pressurized Microfiltration Device and the conventional filtration system, the Pressurized Microfiltration Device was $20.5g\;CO_2-eq$., Fabric Filter was $34.7g\;CO_2-eq$., and Reverse Osmosis System was $191.7g\;CO_2-eq$. The amount of greenhouse gas generated was calculated to be 41.0% less than that of the Fabric Filter by the Pressurized Microfiltration Device and 89.3% less than the Reverse Osmosis System. From the viewpoint of climate change, it is necessary to select a filtration system that takes climate change into account, not from the viewpoint of water quality removal efficiency and economic efficiency according to future water treatment applications, and it is necessary to select a water treatment filtration system more researches and improvements will be made for.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.74-84
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• 2024

Background: Despite many environmental problems, plastic waste emissions have been a significant surge during last few decades in the Republic of Korea. Furthermore, the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has lead to an increased use and disposal of plastic waste worldwide. This paper tried to present summarized data related to the production and disposal of plastics especially before and after the COVID-19 pandemic with environmental impacts of plastics. Also, review of plastic waste reduction policies and feasible policies to promote an act for a safe, sustainable environment are presented. Results: Plastics cause many environmental problems due to their non-degrading properties and have a huge direct and indirect impact on Ecosystems and Public Health. Microplastics need a lot of attention because their environmental effects are not yet fully identified. Despite plastic's significant impact on climate change, the impact is not yet widely known to the public. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of plastic has surged and recycling has decreased due to the increase in delivery food and online shopping. Korea is introducing very active plastic and waste management policies, but it is necessary to implement more active policies by referring to the cases of other countries. Conclusions: In this article, we have scrutinized the evolution of plastic waste generation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and delved into policy frameworks adopted by other nations, which South Korea can draw valuable lessons from. The formidable challenges posed by plastic waste, the remarkable shifts witnessed during the COVID-19 era, and the multifaceted response strategies elucidated in this paper all play a pivotal role in steering South Korea toward a sustainable future.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2013

Mineral carbonation has been proposed as a possible way for $CO_2$ sequestration. The electric arc furnace slags consist of calcium, magnesium and aluminum silicates in various combinations. If they could be used instead of natural mineral silicates for carbonation, considerable energy savings and $CO_2$ emissions reductions could be achieved. Indirect aqueous carbonation of the slags consists of two steps, extraction of calcium and carbonation. Acetic acid leaching of electric arc furnace slags had been already studied to extract Ca in them, but it was reported that the carbonation of the extracted $Ca^{2+}$ in the leached solution would suffer from too slow kinetics, even at high pressure of $CO_2$. In this work, to develop more efficient extraction of the electric arc furnace slags, hydrochloric acid leaching to separate calcium from them was studied, and the results were compared with the acetic acid ones. The phase boundary between $Ca^{2+}$ and $CaCO_3$ in the solution with pH was determined by thermodynamic calculations. Hydrochloric acid was more effective than acetic acid for the extraction of Ca in electric arc furnace slag, and there is a possibility to recycle an unreacted hydrochloric acid in the leached solution by electrolysis or evaporation.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.139-160
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• 2018

Using survey data of selected 1,349 individuals nationwide in Korea, we measure the influencing factors for the acceptance of nuclear power and estimates the probability of acceptance under several scenarios with different percentages of monetary compensation. Results of panel probit demonstrate that nuclear risk aversion tendency was found to be higher in case of female, younger age, past experience of extreme event such as an earthquake. However, the residents' residency nearby the nuclear power plant was not related to the risk-aversion tendency. In addition, we found that the nuclear acceptance is improved when the monetary compensation rate is increased. Although the policy demand intended to reduce GHG emissions in South Korea, the expansion of nuclear power is not be easy due to the occurrence of recent strong earthquakes because the risk attitude of an individual is influenced by subjective assessments formed through direct and indirect experiences of natural disasters such as an earthquake. Our results suggest that the opposition to construction of nuclear power plant is expected to be further intensified especially when combined with the experiences of threatening earthquakes. As a result, the debate and policy conflicts of nuclear power plants will consistently continue and large social costs are apparent for the acceptance of nuclear power plant.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2007

Energy supply is increasingly showing up as a major issue for electricity supply, transportation, settlement, and process heat industrial supply including hydrogen production. Nuclear power is part of the solution. For electricity supply, as exemplified in Finland and France, the EPR brings an immediate answer; HTR could bring another solution in some specific cases. For other supply, mostly heat, the HTR brings a solution inaccessible to conventional nuclear power plants for very high or even high temperature. As fossil fuels costs increase and efforts to avoid generation of Greenhouse gases are implemented, a market for nuclear generated process heat will be developed. Following active developments in the 80's, HTR have been put on the back burner up to 5 years ago. Light water reactors are widely dominating the nuclear production field today. However, interest in the HTR technology was renewed in the past few years. Several commercial projects are actively promoted, most of them aiming at electricity production. ANTARES is today AREVA's response to the cogeneration market. It distinguishes itself from other concepts with its indirect cycle design powering a combined cycle power plant. Several reasons support this design choice, one of the most important of which is the design flexibility to adapt readily to combined heat and power applications. From the start, AREVA made the choice of such flexibility with the belief that the HTR market is not so much in competition with LWR in the sole electricity market but in the specific added value market of cogeneration and process heat. In view of the volatility of the costs of fossil fuels, AREVA's choice brings to the large industrial heat applications the fuel cost predictability of nuclear fuel with the efficiency of a high temperature heat source tree of Greenhouse gases emissions. The ANTARES module produces 600 MWth which can be split into the required process heat, the remaining power drives an adapted prorated electric plant. Depending on the process heat temperature and power needs, up to 80% of the nuclear heat is converted into useful power. An important feature of the design is the standardization of the heat source, as independent as possible of the process heat application. This should expedite licensing. The essential conditions for success include: ${\bullet}$ Timely adapted licensing process and regulations, codes and standards for such application and design ${\bullet}$ An industry oriented R&D program to meet the technological challenges making the best use of the international collaboration. Gen IV could be the vector ${\bullet}$ Identification of an end user(or a consortium of) willing to fund a FOAK

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.193-200
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• 2022

The term environmental, social and governance (ESG) was first used in the 2003 United Nations Environmental Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). Among the three areas of ESG, environment refers to the impact of companies on the environment. Environmental factors address climate change policies and attempts to reduce emissions, waste and natural resource consumption. Social factors refer to the direction in which a company can improve the social impact of stakeholder includes employees, customers, communities, and governments involved in direct or indirect interaction with the organization itself and the company. Governance factors refer to stakeholders who make major decisions, the composition of the board of directors, their diversity and independence, and the internal policies that set limits and expectations for decision-making. Research related to ESG management is part of corporate social responsibility, sustainability, corporate or financial performance, and social responsibility investment. Through case studies and data-based empirical studies, it was confirmed that ESG management companies had positive results for most of the ESG related fields. Through literature analysis of domestic and international ESG history, introduction background, and management performance, this paper presents theoretical, practical implications by confirming that ESG's introduction and operation strategies are strong competitive strategies that directly affect corporate growth by creating attractive factors.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.33-52
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• 2014

Although climate change is a global scale question, some concerns have been raised that principles of investment arbitration may not adequately address the domestic implementation of climate change measures. A recent ICSID investment arbitration of Vattenfall v. Germany with regard to the investor's alleged damages from the phase-out of nuclear plants is a salient climate change case. The 2005 Kyoto Protocol was made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and it provides a number of flexible mechanisms such as Joint Implementation (JI) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Implementation of the Kyoto Protocol allows dispute settlement through investor-state arbitration. Any initiation of stricter emission standards can violate the prohibition on expropriations in investment agreements, regardless of the measures created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The effect-based expropriation doctrine can charge changes to existing emission standards as interference with the use of property that goes against the legitimate expectation of a foreign investor. In regulatory chill, threat of investor claims against the host state may preclude the strengthening of climate change measures. Stabilization clauses also have a freezing effect on the hosting state's regulation and a new law applicable to the investment. In the fair and equitable standard, basic expectations of investors when entering into earlier carbon-intensive operations can be affected by a regulation seeking to change into a low-carbon approach. As seen in the Methanex tribunal, a non-discriminatory and public purpose of environmental protection measures should be considered as non-expropriation in the arbitral tribunal unless its decision would intentionally impede a foreign investor's investment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.64-74
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• 2010

The study is based on an urban park design that is designed in consideration of the characteristics of Uijeongbu City, applied with adequate functions for the environment and showcasing the unique scenery in relation to the relocation of the US Air Force Camp Falling Water. The bases of the design are: the reasonable convergence of the square and park in consideration of the site characteristics; the application of an urban context as the park is located near a station; and the realization of an eco-friendly space. This study is based on foundation research regarding a review of urban square patterns, particular items in planning in relation to modern urban parks and the adaptability of the park in the future. Regarding space usage, the design is applied with notable ideas that allow the space to make its own characteristics through voluntary user activity in conjunction with the environment that will allow the park to cope with changes in the future, as opposed to a space that users experience through pre-determined programs. Below are the focal points of the design. First, the park is designed as an empty space which may accommodate the urban structural context of and usage patterns for being a field of the city ecology that changes and develops, beyond a passively-created square pattern. Such open spaces have a continuity which allows it to adapt to the development of the city. In addition, the design facilitates spontaneous processes through changes in usage pattern and time. Second, the design includes the message that the park and the city, natural things and artificial things, must communicate and network with each other. Hence the park shall not be an isolated green island within the city, but is an open space accommodating the demands for open area from nearby commercial, public and residential facilities; the park shall include a field that can accommodate a variety of programs. Third, the park is designed to encourage the effect of direct and indirect practical education by reflecting a physical plan as well as interesting experience design methods to lower carbon emissions and to create and maintain an eco-friendly space, the basis of a zero-emissions city.

• Clean Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.200-208
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• 2012

This study was performed to prevent the health damage of environmental contaminants in Industrial Complex Area. And, this study aimed to identify the concentration levels and distribution characteristics of environmental contaminants and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) at soil in Industrial Complex Area and control area. The concentration of the soil pollution standard such as the heavy metals in the soil, VOCs, PAHs, and PCB were measured and analyzed using the soil specimens in the Industrial Complex Area and control area. Soil specimens from the Industrial Complex Area (the direct exposure area) and the control area were surveyed. Songdo-dong, Haedo-dong and Jechul-dong, which are in the direct exposure area and near the emission source, showed relatively high concentrations of contaminant materials when compared with Jangki-myeon, which is far off and in the control area. The concentration of zinc was 20.8-58.9% of the level of concern (300 mg/kg) in the 1st region, which is a relatively high concentration. The concentration of fluoride was under the standard in every region, but it was about 74% of the level of concern (400 mg/kg) in the 1st region. It is recommended that controlling fluoride emissions is necessary. Levels of organic phosphate, phenol, and VOCs like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene were under the detection limit of the analysis instruments. The concentration of TPH was high in Songdo-dong. The concentration of contaminants in Jechul-dong was high. In addition, it was observed that the level of soil contamination changed depending on the distance from the emission source. The concentration of PAH compounds in the soil was 18.71-1744.59 ng/g, and the concentration of six potential cancer-causing PAH materials was 6.54-695.94 ng/g. The highest concentration was in Songdo-dong. The PAH concentration in the direct exposure area near the complex was relatively high compared to the indirect exposure area.