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The government will introduce ambitious policies to reduce greenhouse gases over the next five years. Launched next year, the measures are aimed at maintaining the nation¡¯ greenhouse gas emissions at the level of 2005. Korea emitted a massive 591 million tons of greenhouse gas in 2005, and the amount is likely to increase to 700 million tons by 2012. Thus keeping emissions at the 2005 level will be ¡°tantamount to reducing them by 18 percent,¡± a government official said. The government decided on the fourth phase environmental policies at a meeting of a climate change committee chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday.
As part of the efforts, the government will regulate greenhouse gas emitted by automobiles and aircraft to a global standard like the European Union's. If people fail to abide by the regulations, they will have to re-purchase the greenhouse gas they emitted in the form of carbon credits. In other words, companies will have to bear a larger financial burden from boosting the efficiency of machinery while consumers will buy air tickets and cars at a higher price.
Other measures include expansion of nuclear energy because it emits little greenhouse gas. A government official said Korea will increase the use of nuclear energy by building two more 1.4 million KW nuclear plants by 2016 in addition to the six under construction now. Nuclear energy now accounts for 39 percent of energy resources. As some developed countries do, the government will also introduce a carbon tax as a way to secure financial resources needed for tackling greenhouse gas and unusual climate changes.
New and recycled energy, which constituted 2.3 percent of total energy resources last year, is to reach 5 percent in 2011 and 9 percent in 2030. The proportion of Biodiesel allowed to be added to diesel oil, currently only 0.5 percent, will be raised to 3 percent by 2012.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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