Turf war slowing president’s green growth blueprint

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Turf war slowing president’s green growth blueprint

The Lee Myung-bak administration has used “green growth,” or economic development using environmentally friendly measures, as its operative phrase. But its legal foundation for green growth strategies has been met with opposition from a presidential body. The Regulatory Reform Committee, which reviews law enforcement measures, yesterday ordered changes in the enforcement ordinance for the Framework Act on Low Carbon Green Growth. It was scheduled to go into effect on April 14.

After a meeting, the committee concluded that under the act, companies related to green growth could face “a double whammy” of restrictions from both the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Ministry of Environment. “The enforcement ordinance should contain new paradigms, but it’s full of archaic restrictions,” said Choi Byung-seon, head of the committee. “Some of our members said they would step down if the act passed the way it was written.”

The Presidential Committee on Green Growth last month drafted the enforcement ordinance following consultations with the knowledge economy and the environment ministries. But following the regulatory committee’s call yesterday, the government went back to the drawing board.

“We’re trying to take into account the committee’s concerns and make necessary changes,” a government official said.

An enforcement ordinance must pass the regulatory committee and then also a review by the Ministry of Government Legislation, a meeting of vice cabinet ministers and the cabinet. The process usually takes at least two weeks.

“We have 45 days [under the law] to review an ordinance and we will take thorough steps until the concerns are resolved,” said Choi. The committee singled out the restriction on greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Under the ordinance, companies with an excessive amount of emissions and consumption would have to submit their plans to reduce them to both the knowledge economy and the environment ministries, and the two ministries would conduct separate evaluations. “Even though this is a matter of great interest to President Lee, ministries failed to cooperate with each other and companies would come under restrictions of both ministries,” a committee official said. “We can’t promote green growth under this sort of system.”

The two ministries have long battled for control in leading the green growth movement. A committee member pointed out that “many of us felt that the two ministries were basically fighting to get a bigger slice of pie.”


By Kang Joo-an [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]

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STEPI, 녹색성장전망 전문가 설문조사



현 시기 최대의 화두인 '저탄소 녹색성장'은 적어도 2030년 이후 2050∼2100년 사이 실현될 것으로 전망된다는 전문가들의 진단이 나왔다.

23일 과학기술정책연구원(STEPIㆍ원장 김석준)이 아주대 에너지ㆍ기후변화연구소와 함께 지난해 8월말∼9월초 전문가 102명을 대상으로 설문조사한 보고서에 따르면 녹색성장이 장기과제란 응답이 71.9%로 가장 높았고, 중기과제(24.0%), 단기과제(4.2%)란 응답은 상대적으로 미미한 수준이었다.

특히 녹색성장을 장기 과제로 본 경우 2050년에 녹색성장이 실현된다(39.1%)가 가장 높았으며, 그다음으로 2100년(17.4%), 2030년(14.5%)의 순으로 나타났다.

녹색성장의 시기별 목표로 단기(2015년)는 '산업의 오염배출 저감', 중기(2030년)는 '녹색생활', 장기(2050년)는 '녹색경제'로 전환될 것으로 조사됐다.

이의 실현 수단은 단ㆍ중기는 '정책적 견인'과 '과학기술 혁신'이, 장기는 과학기술 혁신을 바탕으로 한 '시민사회의 변화 및 지원'이 중요할 것으로 파악됐다.

아울러, 장기적 추진에서 중요한 핵심 요소와 측면을 비교ㆍ분석한 결과 개도국보다 선진국, 개인적 소유보다 공동이용, 현 세대보다 미래세대, 현재를 중시하는 국내총생산(GDP) 지표보다 삶의 질을 중시하는 사회ㆍ생태ㆍ경제지표 등이 중요한 것으로 조사됐다.

또 이번 조사결과에서 전문가들은 녹색성장이 기존의 지속가능발전과 부분적으로 중첩되거나 이에 포함되며, 녹색성장의 사상적 근원을 서양보다는 동양에 좀 더 가깝게 인식하는 것으로 나타났다.

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