Adaptation and Mitigation

Another Korean bottle destined for recycling.

The UNFCCC has many interesting things to say about the green movement in the Republic of Korea.  Green Movement may be the wrong word to use, Koreans don’t see the move to a sustainable future as giving convenience up or taking on an extra burden.  To them it is more like a duty and an opportunity to be a pivotal force in a new and emerging market.  On Koreas 60^th anniversary President Lee Myung-buk proposed the future vision for Korea be one of “Low Carbon, Green Growth.” Under this vision it would create more jobs, new technology, clean energy and it would solidify Koreas place on the map as a leader in green technology innovation.  Koreans are also very green inter-county travelers, Koreans travel mostly by subway, commuter or bullet train.  While there has been an incredible leap in the amount of cars on the peninsula most people prefer to do most of their commuting by train. 

Korea also seems ready for adaptation, it does have a ski season in the winter but they are already planning ahead for when there is no more snow.  They have come up with the idea of green-grass skiing and turning skiing areas into hiking and wilderness areas.  The other main idea for adaptation is to genetically adapt their foods with a more resilient strain.  Crops are mostly grown in the lowlands that will be susceptible to flooding with typhoons and sea-level rise.  These crops need to be able to be grown in brackish water.  Livestock and will also need to more adaptive to Global Climate change,  not only is their environment changing but there is also a growing demand for meats such as fish, chicken and beef.  Meats of all type will be genetically engineered to produce more meat in a faster amount of time.

Korea has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, it was accepted in 2005 and entered into the force in 2008.  Korea was not required to reduce their emissions in any way, even so they went a step further and vowed that by 2020 they would be 30% below the business as usual (BAU) average.  Korea as a whole has embraced the problem of climate change and turned it into an opportunity to become a world leader in new and more efficient power distribution networks and solar technologies.  Korea fits in as being part of the solution not the problem.  They are not cutting production levels to bring their pollution levels down; instead they are finding better and greener ways of maintaining and increasing their levels of production. 

Korea’s idea of mitigation is a proactive technological solution to energy production for the rest of the world.  Wind energy would not work well there because the area is mostly mountainous, instead they get many days of sunshine which would be perfect solar energy.  With their specialty being the development and production of new high-tech products they are perfectly suited to create new types of solar solutions.  Their personal goals for the country far exceed the Kyoto protocol; by 2022, 10% of the country will be powered by solar.  The small island to the south of Korea will feel these impacts far sooner; the Korean government has decided to use the island for the development of new “smart grids,” these will distribute power more efficiently as well as having charging stations for electric cars.  

                Korea has solved its investment capital problem by becoming its own first customer.  KEPCO the national energy company has to follow the mandates set forth by their government so they are shopping around for a solar energy provider.  They can produce most things cheaper than buying from abroad so all they have to do is find an initial design that works for them and that sets the ball rolling.  The societal impacts of being the forerunner in green technology is huge.  If the Middle East has nothing but oil, imagine how rich the country that makes oil obsolete will become.  Koreans as a culture will do great with the idea of sustainability, to them this is less of new world and more of an ever changing present and for being a very dense population they are a very clean and respectful people, towards others and towards the Earth and environment. 

Korea is one of the few places in the world where climate change can be an opportunity and a precipice to greatness.  There is a short list of countries who have gotten behind the solution to global climate change instead joining in the debate over global warming.  They only need to do what they are best at, have a deeply science based society with a fantastic ability for research and development and to produce that product cheaply, efficiently and make it durable.  If they hold firm to their vows to the UN and the environment, they literally have the power to save the world.

The beautiful and clean downtown Seoul.

Korea is not only about making the world a cleaner place but is dedicated to keeping their half of the peninsula as clean as possible. One example is recycling in Korea is not dividing things into one or two plastic totes and calling it good.  Korea has you sort your trash into 15 different categories; Metal- Tin and Aluminum, Glass- green, brown and clear, Paper- newspaper and cardboard, Plastic- Styrofoam, light plastic, hard plastic, plastic bags, sulfate, bottles, and in my year of being there I never figured out what you’re supposed to do with batteries.  Korea is fervent in its belief about what it can do to mitigate, adapt and like few others, profit from this experience; there is no doubt in my mind Korea will exceed and surpass all the goals it has laid for itself.