Establishing the 2050 Goyang City Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Basic Plan
Developing and Implementing Sector-Specific Strategies
Strengthening International Cooperation through the Global Local Governments Climate Summit
Emerging as a Leading City in Climate Action
Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province, led by Mayor Lee Donghwan, is drawing international attention for accelerating the realization of a carbon-neutral city through practical actions, rather than stopping at declarations.
Lee Donghwan, mayor of Goyang Special City, is presenting a smart city case at the simultaneous session of the Global Local Governments Climate Summit. Provided by Goyang Special City
According to Goyang Special City on April 23, the city is establishing a mid- to long-term greenhouse gas reduction strategy through the '1st Goyang City 2050 Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Basic Plan,' and is initiating a full-scale green transition across the city based on this plan.
Goyang City is formulating a mid- to long-term plan to achieve carbon neutrality. The '1st Goyang City 2050 Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Basic Plan,' with the vision of 'Carbon-Neutral Goyang Changing the Future Together with Citizens,' is in its final stages.
The central government and Gyeonggi Province each announced detailed implementation plans in April 2023 and April 2024, respectively, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 2018 levels by 2030. All basic local governments nationwide are required to establish their basic plans by April this year.
In accordance with the 'Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Responding to Climate Crisis,' the city will prepare sector-specific greenhouse gas reduction projects and detailed implementation plans for a 10-year planning period. In particular, the city will present major measures tailored to the characteristics of a large city, where 90% of greenhouse gas emissions under its management authority come from the building and transportation sectors.
The building sector will focus on 31 detailed projects, including improving building energy efficiency, expanding the practice of green lifestyles for energy savings, and increasing the use of renewable energy such as mini hydrogen cities. The transportation sector will focus on 30 detailed projects, including the establishment of a rail-centered transportation system such as GTX-A and Incheon Line 2, the supply of eco-friendly vehicles, and the improvement of public transportation services. In addition, the city plans to implement detailed projects in the areas of waste, agriculture and livestock, and carbon sinks.
In February, the city held a public hearing to collect opinions and also conducted an online survey using the National Idea Platform. In particular, based on suggestions from the public hearing, the city partially incorporated the carbon absorption capacity of Janghang Wetland into the basic plan and is considering ways to expand its application in the future.
Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City (left), is seen having a cordial talk with M Anirkumar, Mayor of Kochi City. Provided by Goyang Special City
A significant number of the detailed greenhouse gas reduction projects established by Goyang City are closely linked to citizens' daily lives. The city plans to actively promote projects that require citizen participation, such as building energy efficiency projects involving the replacement of windows and insulation, the Carbon Neutrality Point System that provides incentives for households saving electricity, gas, and water, and resource circulation stores that offer monetary rewards for recyclables.
Previously, in 2019, the city established a greenhouse gas reduction plan for six sectors?buildings, transportation, waste, agriculture and livestock, land, and response infrastructure?covering 92 detailed projects, and has been conducting implementation checks by project since 2020. Based on this, once the Goyang City 2050 Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Basic Plan is established, the city will begin implementation checks from next year and develop improvement measures.
From April 14 to 16, the 'Global Local Governments Climate Summit,' led by local governments from various countries, was held at KINTEX in Goyang City. The event was co-hosted by Gyeonggi Province and ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) under the theme 'Science-based Green Transition for All.'
The summit was attended by officials from local governments in 82 cities across 29 countries, international organizations, and experts from various fields, who sought solutions to overcome the climate crisis. The joint declaration adopted by the global local governments will be officially delivered to the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) to be held in November.
Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City (center), is taking a commemorative photo with Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI World Secretariat (left), and Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Chairperson of ICLEI. Provided by Goyang Special City
Prior to the official events of the summit, Goyang City discussed mutual cooperation measures for sustainable urban transition and climate action with the ICLEI World Secretariat. The city also exchanged opinions with Kochi, a representative city of Kerala, India, on cooperation in areas of joint interest such as smart energy, eco-friendly transportation, and citizen-participatory governance.
Subsequently, as an ICLEI Korea Executive Committee city, Goyang shared its efforts to transition to a sustainable, smart, and eco-friendly city at ICLEI regular meetings, simultaneous sessions, and side events.
In particular, at the simultaneous session 'Transition Based on Science and Innovation 2: AI and Data,' the city introduced various policies being implemented as a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport-designated smart city hub. These included an advanced disaster response safety system for rapidly changing climate disasters, a traffic information control system, demand-responsive public transport (DRT), and plans for operating autonomous buses, demonstrating the city's active response to the climate crisis through advanced technology-based urban innovation strategies.
Meanwhile, Goyang City is expanding cooperation with various organizations in multiple fields to realize a carbon-neutral city. In November last year, the city joined the LSNG Coalition (Local and Subnational Governments Network for Ending Plastic Pollution), and in March this year, it joined the Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart City Practice Community (ComP) initiative, focusing on strengthening its global network.
The 1st Goyang City Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Basic Plan (Draft) Public Hearing. Provided by Goyang Special City
The city plans to continue promoting the transition to a carbon-neutral society and green growth, actively participate in international efforts, and do its utmost to respond to the climate crisis and achieve sustainable development.
Mayor Lee Donghwan stated, "To respond to the climate crisis, local governments must raise their voices and bring together the efforts and solidarity of various stakeholders," adding, "Goyang City will enhance its status as a responsible global city based on collective action."
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