Unsustainable Harvest: Livestock and Fisheries Emissions Skyrocket, Exposing South Korea’s Environmental Policy Failures
- Greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors have exceeded 4% of the country's total emissions, with sluggish policy implementation cited as the main cause.
- According to data submitted by the Ministry of Environment, the provisional greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sector in 2023 amounted to 25 million tons,...
- Compared to 2018, the base year for the government's '2030 National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC)', greenhouse gas emissions in the five sectors of conversion, industry, buildings, transportation,...
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agricultural, Livestock, and Fisheries Sectors Exceed 4% of Total Emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors have exceeded 4% of the country’s total emissions, with sluggish policy implementation cited as the main cause.
Emissions Data
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Environment, the provisional greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sector in 2023 amounted to 25 million tons, accounting for 4.01% of total emissions.
Compared to 2018, the base year for the government’s ‘2030 National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC)’, greenhouse gas emissions in the five sectors of conversion, industry, buildings, transportation, and waste decreased significantly, but only the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sector showed an increase.
National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target
The government is working to reduce greenhouse gases in six sectors, including buildings and transportation, based on reduction targets. The national greenhouse gas provisional emissions for 2023 are projected to be 624.2 million tons (carbon dioxide equivalent), down about 13.9% from 725 million tons in 2018.
Looking at each sector in detail, the conversion sector decreased by 25.3% from 268.4 million tons to 204 million tons during the same period, the building sector decreased by 15.3% from 52.1 million tons to 44.2 million tons, and the waste sector decreased by 10.2% from 17.4 million tons to 15.6 million tons. The industrial sector and transportation sector also decreased by 8.4% and 1.3%, respectively.
Backsliding Carbon Neutrality Policy
However, greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sector actually increased by 1.5% from 24.7 million tons in 2018 to 25 million tons last year. Accordingly, its share of total national emissions also increased significantly from 3.4% in 2018 to 4.0%.
The backsliding carbon neutrality policy is mentioned as a reason for the increase in emissions from the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors. The lawmaker pointed out that “the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors have been criticized for being sluggish in promoting projects such as support for livestock manure treatment facilities for carbon neutrality, dissemination of eco-friendly agricultural technologies, and establishment of a low-carbon agricultural foundation.”
Call for Action
The lawmaker said, “The livestock and fisheries sectors, which need to respond most urgently to the climate crisis, are almost completely unresponsive to the carbon neutrality policy,” and added, “We must actively work to devise alternatives, such as livestock manure treatment support projects and the revitalization of eco-friendly agriculture.”
Reporter Kim So-jin sjkim@nongmin.com