Suncheon City Realizes Carbon Zero City with Green Carbon Garden

Expanding Sustainable Carbon Sinks

Carbon Zero First-Class Suncheon Created Together with Citizens

Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu) announced plans to accelerate not only energy transition but also the expansion of carbon sinks tailored to the characteristics of the region in response to the climate crisis.

Recently, a research team from the 'Earth Observatory' under the Columbia Climate School announced that small vegetation on urban vacant lots can absorb up to 40% of the carbon dioxide emitted in the city during midsummer afternoons.

[Photo provided by Suncheon-si]

Vacant gardens, lawns, and ground cover plants play a very important role as urban carbon sinks.

Accordingly, the city plans to connect Suncheonman National Garden throughout the city to transform the entire city into a green carbon garden, a carbon sink. By preserving and expanding carbon sinks and storage sources, the city aims to contribute to carbon neutrality and, in particular, to continuously monitor the city's annual carbon emissions and absorption to establish realistic climate crisis response policies.

◇ Expanding and preserving sustainable carbon sinks through nature-based solutions

As a residential city, Suncheon must pursue policies different from the manufacturing-centered carbon neutrality policies of nearby Yeosu and Gwangyang.

As global warming progresses, ecological environments worsen due to habitat loss and a decrease in endangered species. Therefore, Suncheon plans to expand carbon sinks such as green carbon (gardens) and blue carbon (Suncheonman tidal flats) by greening urban areas and restoring ecosystems according to the city's characteristics and conditions.

According to research published in the international journal Science, wetlands have five times the carbon storage capacity of forests and 500 times that of the ocean.

The Suncheonman Wetland absorbs about 6,900 tons of carbon annually.

Recognizing the importance of wetlands, the city plans to systematically manage the Waryong mountain wetland, designated as a wetland protection area at the end of last year, and restore the wetland ecosystem undergoing terrestrialization.

Within the limits of not damaging the wetlands, the city will install ecological experience centers, ecological trails, and visitor centers in buffer zones to activate ecological tourism linking the existing Suncheonman Wetland, Dongcheon Estuary Wetland, and the three major wetlands (coastal-river-mountain). It will also prepare a tentative program called 'Biosphere Conservation Area Suncheon Heritage Tour' in cooperation with villages around the wetland protection area to provide higher-quality ecological tourism services to visitors to Suncheon.

◇ Various policies to realize carbon neutrality and energy self-sufficient city in Suncheon

Suncheon's greenhouse gas reduction target to achieve carbon neutrality is 2.41 million tons.

The plan is to reduce 960,000 tons, equivalent to 40%, by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

Suncheon is promoting various policies with citizens, including early retirement of old diesel vehicles and support for installing diesel particulate filters (DPF), the distribution of eco-friendly vehicles such as electric and hydrogen cars, and the establishment of charging infrastructure to build a zero-emission transportation system. It also promotes eco-friendly boiler distribution, selects excellent green apartments, and provides incentives through the carbon point system.

The early retirement support project has supported a total of 7,355 vehicles over six years since 2017, achieving a 52.5% retirement rate of old diesel vehicles in the area. The carbon point system has involved 26,833 households over 12 years since 2011, reducing 13,920 tons of greenhouse gases.

This year, the city plans to distribute up to 960 zero-emission vehicles and expand support for scrapping old diesel vehicles emitting high pollutants from grade 5 to grade 4. If the first hydrogen charging station in Suncheon is completed in Gagok-dong by the end of this year, it is expected to contribute to the activation of an eco-friendly transportation system.

Additionally, to transition to renewable energy, the city is investing in demonstration projects such as replacing railway noise barriers with solar power facilities and efficiently maintaining large-scale solar power plants. It is also promoting mini solar power facilities on apartment balconies and solar power facility subsidies for detached houses.

Furthermore, to save energy and improve efficiency, since 2015, the city has supported LED light replacement projects for vulnerable groups, achieving about 198 million KRW in electricity bill savings by 2022. It has also distributed small LPG storage tanks at the village level in areas without city gas supply, resulting in a 20% fuel cost reduction.

By distributing renewable energy generation facilities such as solar, hydro, and wind power, the city is gradually reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Starting this year, it is conducting a campaign to encourage local companies to participate in the private-led 'K-RE100 (Korean RE100)' system, aiming to achieve a 30% energy self-sufficiency rate by 2030.

◇ Carbon Zero First-Class Suncheon created together with citizens

Along with the existing carbon point system that provides incentives based on household energy reduction performance, the city will implement a carbon neutrality practice point system that rewards incentives for small eco-friendly actions that can be practiced in daily life.

Moreover, the city will continuously encourage citizen interest and participation through carbon neutrality promotion campaigns such as posters (public transport, bicycles, walking), waste diet, and social network service (SNS) events, and will spread the atmosphere of a carbon-neutral society through a carbon neutrality practice pledge ceremony.

The 2023 Suncheonman International Garden Expo, held this year, transformed the entire city into a garden, covering asphalt roads previously used only by cars with year-round grass and rebirth of flood control reservoirs as resting and healing spaces for citizens.

Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu of Suncheon said, "We will grow into a representative model realizing carbon neutrality through climate change response based on nature-based solutions* such as gardens, forests, and wetlands, and voluntary low-carbon lifestyle practices by citizens," and added, "We hope for the active interest and participation of citizens."

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr