Gov't rolls out plans to tackle fine dust
- 8 years ago
Koreans are becoming accustomed to hazy skies.
While almost half of the impurities that create them are flown in from outside the nation, the Korean government isn't standing idly by.
Oh Jung-hee outlines some of the strategies they've formulated to tackle the disturbing level of fine dust in the air.
To counter the serious and day-to-day threat of fine dust,... the Korean government has rolled out a new set of policies.
The government cited National Institute of Environment Research... and explained that 30 to 50 percent of the fine dust in Korea comes in from other countries.
As for the domestic causes, diesel cars are the biggest generators of fine dust in the Seoul metro area -- causing up to 29 percent of the particulate matter in the air -- and factories produced up to 41 percent of the fine dust nationwide.
To remedy the situation, the government is seeking to enact tighter restrictions on aging diesel cars and coal power plants.
"Diesel cars produced before 2005 will be destroyed by 2019. And the government will expand the number of eco-friendly cars from two-point-six-percent... to thirty-percent by 2020."
On top of that, old diesel cars will not be banned from the capital region... and diesel buses will be replaced with buses powered by compressed natural gas.
In addition, coal-powered thermal power plants that are over forty years old will be shut down,... while new power plants will face strict environmental standards.
Of the 53 coal power plants in Korea, 11 are over 30 years old and three have been in operation for more than 40 years.
"Ten coal power plants will be closed down and the most strict emission standards will be imposed on nine newly built plants."
"The government is also aiming to bump up the air quality to match Europe's,... expand its cooperation with neighboring countries,... as that's where a good deal of the fine dust comes from,... and further strengthen its dust forecasting system.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News."
While almost half of the impurities that create them are flown in from outside the nation, the Korean government isn't standing idly by.
Oh Jung-hee outlines some of the strategies they've formulated to tackle the disturbing level of fine dust in the air.
To counter the serious and day-to-day threat of fine dust,... the Korean government has rolled out a new set of policies.
The government cited National Institute of Environment Research... and explained that 30 to 50 percent of the fine dust in Korea comes in from other countries.
As for the domestic causes, diesel cars are the biggest generators of fine dust in the Seoul metro area -- causing up to 29 percent of the particulate matter in the air -- and factories produced up to 41 percent of the fine dust nationwide.
To remedy the situation, the government is seeking to enact tighter restrictions on aging diesel cars and coal power plants.
"Diesel cars produced before 2005 will be destroyed by 2019. And the government will expand the number of eco-friendly cars from two-point-six-percent... to thirty-percent by 2020."
On top of that, old diesel cars will not be banned from the capital region... and diesel buses will be replaced with buses powered by compressed natural gas.
In addition, coal-powered thermal power plants that are over forty years old will be shut down,... while new power plants will face strict environmental standards.
Of the 53 coal power plants in Korea, 11 are over 30 years old and three have been in operation for more than 40 years.
"Ten coal power plants will be closed down and the most strict emission standards will be imposed on nine newly built plants."
"The government is also aiming to bump up the air quality to match Europe's,... expand its cooperation with neighboring countries,... as that's where a good deal of the fine dust comes from,... and further strengthen its dust forecasting system.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News."