South Korea announced plans to cap greenhouse gas emissions at 2005 levels for the next five years, despite South Korea not required to make cuts under the Kyoto protocol.
In a policy report to President Lee Myung-bak, Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee presented the ministry’s initiative to contain emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, at 2005 levels.
The nation’s annual carbon dioxide emissions doubled between 1990 and 2005 to 591 million tonnes, among the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
According to UN agreement it is mandatory for industrialised nations to reduce emissions by an average of 5 per cent through 2012. South Korea is is classified as a developing country under Kyoto and therefore not required to make cuts.