The greenhouse gases emitted domestically last year were recorded at nearly 700 million tons. Although this represents a 2% decrease from the previous year, it is insufficient to meet the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target.
The Greenhouse Gas Comprehensive Information Center under the Ministry of Environment announced on the 20th that the provisional greenhouse gas emissions for 2024 will be 691.58 million tons. This provisional figure was calculated using the new standards under the Paris Agreement, the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines (2006 IPCC guidelines), and the 1996 IPCC guidelines for monitoring the implementation of the 2030 NDC. The final greenhouse gas emissions for last year will be confirmed in the second half of next year.
To achieve the 2030 NDC, there is a need to reduce emissions by 220 million tons in the future. This means that emissions must be reduced by more than 3.6% each year, which is larger than the provisional reduction achieved last year (2%). Additionally, it is required to absorb or eliminate 75 million tons of greenhouse gases for the 2030 NDC. The Greenhouse Gas Comprehensive Information Center noted, "As the annual reduction targets approach 2030, they are being strengthened rapidly," and emphasized the need to expedite decarbonization efforts in each institutional sector.
In the transition institutional sector (during electricity generation), emissions were 218.34 million tons, marking a 5.4% decrease from the previous year, despite an increase in electricity consumption. This reduction was due to a 9.6% decrease in coal generation, while the generation from renewable energy and nuclear power increased by 8.6% and 4.6%, respectively. Emissions from the industrial institutional sector were 289.50 million tons, reflecting a 0.5% increase from the previous year, attributed to increased production due to economic recovery in some industries, alongside a failure to improve greenhouse gas emissions intensity (emissions/output).
By industry, the petrochemical sector saw a 6.3% increase in the production of basic raw materials, leading to a 4.4% rise in emissions. The refining industry reported a 2.4% increase in oil product production and a 6.1% increase in emissions, indicating a deterioration in the greenhouse gas emissions intensity which measures the degree of efforts to reduce emissions.
In the steel and cement industries, both production and emissions decreased due to production cutbacks. The steel sector's crude steel production fell by 4.8% from the previous year, resulting in a 0.1% reduction in emissions. The cement sector saw production and emissions drop by 9.3% and 9.0%, respectively. The semiconductor and display sectors increased production but managed to reduce emissions by 27.0% through the expansion of semiconductor process gas reduction facilities.
Emissions from the building institutional sector were 43.59 million tons, a 2.5% decrease from the previous year, thanks to a rise in average temperatures (from 13.7 to 14.5℃) and a 2.5% decrease in city gas consumption. However, according to statistics on energy usage in buildings, the total energy consumption of the building sector increased by 3.9% compared to the previous year. Additionally, the total energy consumption per unit area of buildings rose from 117 kWh/㎡ to 119 kWh/㎡.
Emissions from the transport institutional sector decreased by 0.4% compared to the previous year, totaling 97.46 million tons. Emissions from the agricultural and livestock sector were 25.56 million tons, a 2.7% decrease from the previous year. Likewise, emissions from the waste sector also saw a 3.4% drop during the same period, totaling 17.52 million tons.
The absorption of greenhouse gases, which offsets total emissions, increased by 1.8% to 40.16 million tons from the previous year, primarily due to a reduction in forests as a result of wildfires.
Choi Min-ji, head of the Greenhouse Gas Comprehensive Information Center, noted, "Recently, the trend of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in Korea has been influenced by external factors such as economic slowdown and rising average temperatures," and added, "To achieve the 2030 NDC, more robust reduction efforts, including significant expansion of renewable energy, are necessary."