SKorea sets greenhouse gas reduction target
The announcement came amid dimming prospects for a new global climate-change pact at next month's UN conference in Copenhagen. South Korea is not among countries that must cut emissions under the existing Kyoto Protocol, and Tuesday's voluntary target-setting could put pressure on developed nations to act more aggressively to fight global warming.
In Seoul, the presidential Blue House said Tuesday that South Korea would cut emissions by 30 percent below expected levels in 2020. That translates into about 4 percent reduction from 2005 levels.
South Korea is one of the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters. In 2005, the country released 590 million tons of the greenhouse gases blamed for dangerously warming the globe. That amount is believed to be the world's ninth largest.
If no action is taken to cut emissions, South Korea is expected to produce 813 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2020. Under Tuesday's target, the country aims to cut the 2020 levels to around 569 million tons.
The countries that must cut emissions under the Kyoto agreement have given new reduction targets for 2020, but the developing countries say the proposed cuts are not deep enough.
Together, the pledges amount to reductions of about 15 percent below 1990 levels, while the developing countries demand that those targets be lifted to about 40 percent. UN scientists said two years ago that reductions of 25 to 40 percent by the industrial countries were needed to avoid the worst effects of global warming; Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version.