Sharing South Korea’s Green Growth Experience from the Critical Perspectives

Sukhyun Park,Citizens’ Institute for Environmental Studies

Rio+20, June 18, 2012

S. Korea’s Green Growth –i i l i i iinternational position in 2005

Source: LauBlaxekjær,“TheEmergenceandSpreadingoftheGreenGrowthPolicyConcept”EarthSystemGovernanceConference2012,4.Abbreviations:UNESCAP: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the PacificUNESCAP: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the PacificROK: Republic of Korea (South Korea)JP: JapanIGES: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (Japanese think tank)MCED5: UNESCAP’s Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and DevelopmentMCED5: UNESCAP s Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in AsiaKI: Kitakyushu Initiative for a Clean Environment16 The Northern city of Kyushu which is the third largest and the most southwesterly

S. Korea’s Green Growth –i i l i i iinternational position in 2009

S. Korea’s Green Growth –i i l i i iinternational position in 2010

S. Korea’s Green Growth –i i l i i iinternational position in 2011

S. Korea’s Green Growth –i i l i i iinternational position in 2012

South Korea’s Green GrowthTable of ContentsSouth Korea s Green Growth• InternationalPosition

• GGVision

• TheconceptofGGofKorea

• InstitutionalFramework

Case Study (Green New Deal: 4 Major Rivers y ( jProject) • Economicsustainability

• Socialsustainability(Community)

• Ecological sustainabilityEcologicalsustainability

Conclusion

S. Korea’s Green Growth Initiatives

S. Korea’s Green Growth Policy“Low Carbon Green Growth” is the idea that promotes economic development with higher efficiency with less energy consumption, which

Concepthas in particular emerged during the economic recession and transitional period of political power from a democratic leader to an industrial

To reduce carbon emissions

leader (entrepreneurship).

•To reduce carbon emissionsMassive renewable energy production?Energy security (nuclear power)? Goalsgy y ( p )

•To create a new growth engineGreen New Deals

Goals

•To improve the quality of people’s lives based on the green technology

Implementation: Institutional Framework

TheFrameworkActonLowCarbon,GreenGrowth.G G th N ti l St t d Fi Y PlLaws

P id ti l C itt G G th

‐ GreenGrowthNationalStrategyandFive‐YearPlan,(threestrategiesandtenpolicydirections)

Laws

PresidentialCommitteeonGreenGrowthMinistryofFinanceandEconomy

GlobalGreenGrowthInstitute(GGGI)– $10milOrganizations

forfirstthreeyearsbyKoreaand80%operatingfundfromothercountries(UAE,DMetc)

Budget KorealaunchedaGreenNewDealwithalargeinvestmentinthegreensector.

107.4 trillion won (2009 – 2013)107.4trillionwon(2009 2013)(96billionUSdollar,1/3ave.annual

budget)

South Korea’s Green New Deals

Source: UNEP, A Global Green New Deal, 2009. 2.

Case analysis: 4 Major Rivers Project

6 D6 Dams;

700 km bike roads;

Deepening the riverbeds;

Artificial floodplain;Artificial floodplain;

Remodeling farmlands;

tc. within 2 yrs.

Rivers Project from Pan‐Korea Grand Waterway 

Nakdong River’s DamsNakdong River’s Dams

4 Major Rivers Project in SD perspectivesEconomically viable/sustainable?Economically viable/sustainable?Socially responsible/sustainable? Socially responsible/sustainable? Environmentally sound/sustainable?Environmentally sound/sustainable?

4 Major Rivers Project: Economy

Items Plan‐projected(whatthegovernment said.)

Reality (whatcivilexpertssaid.)

Initialcosts 14.1(22.2)trillionwon(13billionUSdollars)

22.2trillionwon(19billionUS dollars)

200 billion won 579 billion wonMaintenance/yr 200billionwon(178million USdollars)

579billionwon(516millionUSdollars)

BCAnalysis 2.33 0.23y

Jobs created 340,000 4164 (includingtemporaryjobs)in2010p y j )

Economic effect 40trillionwon(35billion USdollars) ??

4 Major Rivers Project: Economy – Low carbon nd clean technology?nd clean technology?• Failed to get CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) from UN.• 2nd largest carbon emission business: Construction.

4 Major Rivers Project: Community  Remodeling the farm lands, community as well. Refugees from dam Refugees from dam construction and changing river courses.river courses.

Lack of communications Lack of communications w/stakeholders

4 Rivers  Project – Ecological consequences: 1 Regressive Erosion1. Regressive Erosion

4 Rivers Project – Consequences: 2. Ecosystem destruction2. Ecosystem destruction

Where have the riparianWhere have the riparianecosystems gone?

4 Rivers Project‐ consequences: 3. Re‐accumulation of sand3. Re accumulation of sand 

4 Rivers Project: Consequences 3. Re‐accumulation of sand (continued)3. Re accumulation of sand (continued)

4 Rivers Project: Consequences 4. Vulnerable areas increased 

More floodingMore flooding

Rivers Project  ‐ Consequences:              5 Accidents (from ignoring EIA procedure)5. Accidents (from ignoring EIA procedure)

4 Rivers Project – Consequences: 6 Swampy areas expanded6. Swampy areas expanded

Conclusion 

GreenGrowthisstillacontestingconcept.NoclearempiricallinkagebetweenGGandSD.

GreengrowthpoliciesadaptedbyKoreahavenotconfirmedthatgreengrowthpoliciesarethealternative measures for sustainable developmentalternativemeasuresforsustainabledevelopment.

Greengrowthpoliciesmayvary,yettheg p y y, yparticipatoryprocessisrequiredtopreventfurtherdamagesonourcommonresources.

The future we want to dodge: 

olitically oriented, ggressive, and top‐down without democratic rocesses and social justice.   

The future we want:Community‐oriented, legitimated, peaceful, 

adaptive, and participatory with social 

justice.

Th k Y !Thank You!

Courtesy:Courtesy:GGGI report