South Korea will establish a comprehensive
greenhouse gas reduction plan by March so it can take positive steps to help stem global warming, the government said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said it will create a special energy conservation and greenhouse gas reduction committee that can set up policy goals and plot a course for future research and development (R&D) efforts.
Efforts will also be made to get feedback from industry and the energy sectors that release about 95 percent of the country's greenhouse gases.
"Overall costs associated with making cuts and R&D projects that can receive support will be prepared by November with public hearings to be held in the following months to ensure that all interested parties are involved in the process," a ministry official said.
Once the plan is established, sector-specific blueprints to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be made to help Seoul meet its pledge to
voluntarily contribute to curb global warming, he added.
Seoul pledged in late 2009 that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from its 2020 "business-as-usual" (BAU) level. Making cuts
compared to a BAU forecast does not necessarily translate into overall output reductions, but it does call for concerted efforts to burn less
fossil fuels.