SEOUL, KOREA -- The Ministry of Environment has been implementing a variety of measures to achieve a net worth of KRW 15 trillion from the nation's exports in the environmental industry, a top environmental policymaker said.
"First of all, the ministry will map out a five-year comprehensive plan to support the environmental industry in 2012 based on the newly revised 'Law to Support Environmental Technology and Industry' in 2011", said the Minister of Environment, Yoo Young-Sook.
In an interview with the Korea IT Times, she said, "Secondly, we will actively foster the seven core environmental technologies, including advanced sewage and waste water disposal technology, through the eco-innovation project", which calls for KRW 2.1 trillion in exports for the period 2011-2020.
"By doing so, we plan to progress the nation's seven core environmental technologies to the highest standards in the world", Minister Yoo said.
"Thirdly, the ministry is striving to establish environmental industrial complex in metropolitan areas, both in Honam and Yeongnam regions, in order to build infrastructure for the environmental industry and promote green technology", she said.
Such environmental industrial complexes will be built in 2012-2015 at a cost of KRW 156 billion in the metropolitan area, one during 2009-2013 at a cost of KRW 29 billion in Honam, and the other one during 2011-2014 period at a cost of KRW 39.6 billion in the region of Yeongnam.
"Along with the environmental industrial complex, we will divide the global environmental market into seven areas and make preparations for tailor-made advanced strategies suitable for each region, considering local conditions such as economy, pollution, and relevant regulations", said Minister Yoo. The seven areas are Asia, China, the Middle East & North Africa, Latin America, East Europe, Africa and North America.
"Finally, we will find out more than 600 overseas prospective environmental projects in order to foster developing countries' plans to improve the environment, an international joint project to support local businesses, and feasibility studies, by 2017. By doing so, we plan to lead such projects to overseas exports of the domestic environmental industry", she said.
Steady growth of environmental market worldwide
The global environmental market has been growing steadily because of worsening global environmental conditions and rapid economic growth of developing countries.
The volume of global environmental market is expected to surpass KRW $1 trillion in 2017 from KRW $800 billion in 2010.
"In particular, newly emerging countries, including those in Asia, Africa and Latin America, are expected to see an annual growth of over 8 percent during the coming 10 years", she said.
Because Korea possesses advanced technology to achieve economic growth and environmental stability, Minister Yoo said, "Korean companies will soon have good opportunities to advance into environmental markets of newly emerging countries."
Green growth with low carbon emissions
When asked about why the government adopted the "low carbon, green growth" as the state's vision, Minister Yoo said, "Firstly, because the environmental crisis has been rapidly spreading around the globe with global warming, international regulations on emissions of greenhouse gases have been strict".
Thus, Korea has embraced the "low carbon, green growth" as the state's vision in 2008 and since then it has been strengthening its policy efforts in order to attain the target."Thirdly, Korea needs to secure new growth engines to replace existing main industries such as heavy and chemical industries that led the high economic growth in the past", she explained.
The "low carbon, green growth" initiative will pursue sustainable growth based on green technology and green industry, contrary to conventional belief that environmentally-friendly means economically-unfriendly.
The ministry has been propelling concrete steps for green growth in five sectors; it copes with climate change, expansion of green growth engine, spread of green life culture, life sympathy and dissemination of green growth.
"To cope with climate change, the ministry established a national greenhouse gas comprehensive information center in June 2010 and started implementing a greenhouse gas goal management system", she said.
Thanks to active investments in green technology, exports of Korean environmental industry has enjoyed an annual average growth of over 30 percent.
"In addition, we staged a green life campaign to improve living quality and published the 'Korea green growth report' to the UNEP in an effort to herald the nation's green growth campaign to the world", she added.
Successful cases of environmental technology exports
Under the ministry's active support, a growing number of Korean companies has succeeded in exporting their advanced environmental technologies to other countries, Minister Yoo said.
"For example, J-E Tech received a financial support of KRW 960 million from the government during the 2006-2008 period and thereby succeeded in advancing into the Chinese market with its advanced technology to prevent air pollution", she noted.
Under the assistance of the Ministry of Environment and Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, POSCO ICT and CEV became the first Korean company to have succeeded in the Turkish environmental market through a consortium.
