Seoul City Implements Climate Crisis Response 'Heatwave Measures'... Cooling Cost Support for 1,000 Vulnerable Households

Support for Vulnerable Groups' Summer Supplies and Cooling Costs, Energy Voucher Provision to Enhance Energy Welfare
Increase Road and Neighborhood Water Cleaning During Heatwaves to Mitigate Urban Heat Island Effect
Adjust Work Hours During Heatwave Warnings to Ensure Safety of Environmental Officers

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is actively promoting ‘climate change adaptation’ measures to minimize citizen damage caused by climate change in preparation for heatwaves.

According to Seoul City on the 19th, the city and the Seoul Energy Welfare Citizen Fund will provide cooling supplies such as air conditioners, circulators, fans, and coolers, as well as heatstroke prevention items including saline glucose, emergency heatwave kits, health foods, and cool scarves to 16,000 vulnerable households in welfare blind spots who are defenseless against heatwave risks. Additionally, the Seoul-type ‘Green e Emergency Welfare Support Project’ will promptly provide up to 100,000 KRW in cooling cost support to energy-vulnerable groups facing difficulties due to overdue urban gas, water, and electricity bills or lack of cooling/heating supplies.

The heatwave support funds for energy-vulnerable groups will be utilized through online fundraising and online funding revenues. The ‘Cool Seoul, Continuous Fundraising’ campaign, which encourages donations through small daily actions such as ‘not drinking a cup of coffee’ and ‘reducing public transportation costs by walking,’ will run until July 1. Furthermore, from this year, energy vouchers supporting energy costs for vulnerable groups against heatwaves and cold waves can be used flexibly by season. Households can use part of their winter voucher (up to 45,000 KRW) as a summer voucher in advance or use the remaining summer energy voucher balance for winter energy vouchers.

Expansion of road cleaning to mitigate heat island effect... 188 water spraying trucks mobilized

Seoul City will strengthen road watering operations when the daily maximum perceived temperature reaches 33°C or higher during heatwaves. Targeting major arterial roads (994 km) and general roads (979 km), up to 188 water spraying trucks owned by autonomous districts and facility corporations will be mobilized to increase the frequency of water cleaning from 1-2 times a day to 2-3 times a day, and extend the watering hours from 12:00-16:00 to 10:00-16:00 (an additional 2 hours) to cool down the heated road surfaces.

In addition, the city plans to induce ESG management by construction companies by strengthening road cleaning around large construction sites (with a total floor area of 10,000㎡ or more) at 181 locations. During heatwave warnings in July and August, among the 181 large construction sites, construction companies at 20 public institution sites will be required to conduct mandatory road cleaning around the sites, while 161 private construction sites will be encouraged to voluntarily carry out water cleaning.

To ensure the safety of environmental public officers working outdoors for long hours during summer, measures such as adjusting working hours and supporting cooling facilities in rest areas during heatwaves will also be implemented. To prevent heat-related illnesses among environmental public officers, work hours will be adjusted or work suspended when heatwave warnings are issued, and from this year, four special leave days will be granted to district-managed environmental public officers in case of adverse weather conditions.

The cooling facilities in 22 environmental public officer rest areas (18 district-managed, 4 outsourced) will also be replaced to improve working conditions. Rest areas such as Junggok 2-dong in Gwangjin-gu (district-managed) and Noryangjin in Dongjak-gu (outsourced) have experienced frequent air conditioner breakdowns due to aging cooling equipment, but this year, with support for cooling facility improvements, air conditioners can be installed or replaced.

Operation of ozone intensive management period... Ozone alert system and special inspection of VOCs emission sites

Repeated exposure to high concentrations of ozone can cause respiratory diseases. The city operates a summer ozone response system to protect citizens’ health and implements reduction measures. First, to promptly inform citizens of ozone conditions, an ozone alert and warning system will be in effect until October 15. Ozone forecasts will be sent twice daily via text messages, and an ozone advisory will be issued when the 1-hour average concentration exceeds 0.12 ppm.

Before the onset of the full heatwave season in June, special inspections will be conducted on 740 VOCs (volatile organic compounds) emission sites, which are major causes of ozone. For small-scale printing shops not legally subject to management, a pilot project for VOC reduction facilities has been underway since March, and based on the project’s effectiveness analysis, support plans will be prepared from 2023.

Additionally, the city plans to minimize VOC emissions by replacing paints and inks used in public construction sites and public publications with low-VOC products certified by environmental labels.

‘Cool Dressing’ fashion show to be held... in July at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, recruiting citizen models

Seoul City, co-hosting with the Green Seoul Citizens Committee, will hold the ‘4th Cool Dressing Fashion Show’ at Dongdaemun Design Plaza Miraero in July. This fashion show will showcase various outfits that can respond to the climate crisis through the virtuous cycle of waste resources, including cool summer clothing, natural material garments with low carbon emissions such as cactus leather, clothing made from recycled fibers from discarded PET bottles, and repaired secondhand clothes.

Models appearing on the stage of the ‘Climate Crisis Response Fashion Show with Citizens’ will be selected through an open recruitment on the city’s website and will walk the runway alongside senior models and university fashion students. Yoon Yeon-sik, head of Seoul City’s Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “The global climate crisis is affecting citizens’ daily lives and health, and we aim to implement climate change adaptation measures to minimize these damages,” adding, “We ask for citizens’ interest and participation in Seoul’s summer heatwave measures.”