6.9 Million Tons of Greenhouse Gases Emitted Last Year... Urgent Need for Stronger Reduction Efforts to Achieve NDC

A Further 202 Million Tons Must Be Cut
Annual Reduction Rate Needs to Reach 3.6%

Last year, South Korea's greenhouse gas emissions decreased compared to the previous year, but the reduction rate fell significantly short of the target. To achieve the '2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)' that the government pledged to the international community, much stronger reduction efforts are now unavoidable.

On August 20, the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center under the Ministry of Environment announced that the country's provisional national greenhouse gas emissions for 2024 were estimated at 691.58 million tons. This represents a decrease of 14.19 million tons (a 2% reduction) compared to the previous year's provisional emissions. In order to achieve the 2030 NDC, the government must reduce emissions by a further 202 million tons, or about 3.6% per year.

Since 2020, the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center has published provisional national greenhouse gas emissions about one year ahead of the official figures. The finalized figures are confirmed and announced following deliberation and resolution by the National Greenhouse Gas Statistics Management Committee, in accordance with Article 39 of the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Climate Change Response.

This year's provisional estimate applied both the '2006 IPCC Guidelines', a new international standard under the Paris Agreement, and the '1996 IPCC Guidelines', which are used for monitoring South Korea's 2030 NDC implementation. Based on the 2006 guidelines, emissions were calculated at 691.58 million tons, while the 1996 guidelines yielded 638.97 million tons. According to the 1996 guidelines, this is a decrease of 9.63 million tons compared to the previous year, and a reduction of 93.89 million tons compared to the finalized emissions in 2018.

By sector, under the 2006 guidelines, emissions from the energy conversion sector were 218.34 million tons, a 5.4% decrease from the previous year. The center explained that despite a 1.3% increase in electricity consumption, greenhouse gas emissions fell due to a 9.6% reduction in coal power generation and increases in renewable energy (8.6%) and nuclear power (4.6%) generation.

In contrast, the industrial sector saw emissions rise by 0.5% to 285.9 million tons compared to the previous year. The center analyzed that this increase was due to expanded production from the recovery of certain industries and insufficient improvement in emissions intensity. In the petrochemical sector, emissions rose by 4.4% as basic petrochemical production increased by 6.3%. The refinery sector also saw a 2.4% increase in petroleum product output, resulting in a 6.1% rise in emissions.

Conversely, in the steel industry, crude steel production fell by 4.8%, leading to a 0.1% decrease in emissions. The cement industry also saw a 9.3% drop in clinker production, resulting in a 9.0% decrease in emissions. However, neither sector improved its emissions intensity, indicating a lack of structural reduction efforts. In the semiconductor and display sectors, emissions decreased due to expanded operation of fluorinated gas reduction facilities (scrubbers).

The problem lies with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are used as refrigerant gases. These gases have a global warming effect tens to thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide, and emissions in 2024 increased by 4.8% compared to the previous year. Although the government established a phased transition plan in July last year, emissions from refrigerants are expected to continue increasing for the time being, as they are released continuously over several to several dozen years during equipment use.

Emissions from the building sector were 43.59 million tons, a 2.8% decrease from the previous year. This was attributed to a rise in the average temperature from 13.7 to 14.5 degrees Celsius, reducing heating demand, and a 2.5% decrease in city gas consumption. However, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's building energy use statistics, total energy consumption in the building sector increased by 3.9%. Energy use per unit area also rose, indicating that efforts to improve energy efficiency and manage demand in the building sector remain insufficient.

Emissions from the transportation sector were 97.46 million tons, a 0.4% decrease from the previous year. The number of registered diesel vehicles dropped by 4.2% from 9.5 million to 9.1 million, but the number of newly supplied zero-emission vehicles also fell from 168,000 to 151,000. The number of gasoline vehicles increased from 12.31 million to 12.42 million, and hybrid vehicles increased from 1.47 million to 1.95 million.

Choi Minji, head of the center, said, "Since 2018, the average annual reduction rate has been 2.1%, but from now on, we need to reduce by more than 3.6% each year," adding, "Additional efforts, including international reductions and absorption or removal, are necessary."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.