SHAPING THE FUTURE HOW CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN POWER HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

BOX 5.9:
The Republic of Korea embarks on low-carbon, green growth
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Policy-making
must respond to the
unique challenges
that each city faces
In 2008, President Lee Myung-bak launched
‘low-carbon, green growth’ as the Republic of
Korea’s new vision for national development for
the next 60 years. National carbon emissions have
grown fast during decades of rapid urbanization
and industrialization, leaving the Republic of Korea
among the top emitters globally.
The country’s green growth is now guided by
a comprehensive set of objectives, strategies
and implementation actions. The objectives are:
to promote a synergistic relationship between
economic growth and environmental protection,
improve people’s quality of life and bring about a
green revolution in their lifestyles, and contribute to
global action to fight climate change and other environmental
threats. The ultimate aims are to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, and for
the Republic of Korea to rank among the world’s top
five green energy powerhouses by 2020.
Green growth is supported by political commitment,
interministerial coordination, public investment,
enabling legislation and public-private-community
involvement. To kick-start the process in 2009, the
Presidential Committee on Green Growth was
established. Supported by 12 task forces of public
and private sector experts, the committee has
Source: The Republic of Korea Culture and Information Service 2011.
prepared various sectoral and issue-specific plans,
roadmaps and initiatives including the national
green growth strategy (2009-2050), and convened
public hearings and seminars to generate public
support. The Framework Act on Low-Carbon
Green Growth was passed, mandating a cap on
emissions. It establishes a system of mandatory
reporting of carbon emissions by all carbon and
energy-intensive industries.
Overall, four main policy instruments have been
identified for green growth: public investment in
infrastructure and research and development to
support a low-carbon society; regulations and
incentives to stimulate market development and
support an energy-conserving society; market
correction measures to account for externalities
and strengthen climate actions; and moral suasion
through education and mass media campaigns.
Since 2009, the number of venture start-ups in
green industries has increased by more than 40
percent. The national bullet train network is being
expanded to connect most major cities nationwide
by 2020, and the number of households who have
joined a carbon point system to curtail emissions
reached 2 million in 2011.
Some differences arise from demographic transition,
with cities likely to track overall national
trends. Countries on the cusp of transition might
draw benefits from encouraging people to come
to cities, given the association with reductions
in fertility and mortality rates. At that point
and further into the transition, cities offer jobs
essential to the well-being of individuals and to
prospects for reaping a demographic dividend.
On the far curve of transition, as cities age,
priorities need to include elements of access and
protection vital to older citizens.
The stage of transition can also determine
the source of urban growth, which in older
countries tends to be from migration, and in
younger countries stems from migration as
well as still higher fertility rates within cities
themselves. The source of growth has different
policy implications, but all should be aligned
with human development aims. For example,
if ‘push’ factors such as rural poverty drive rural-urban
migration, then viable responses might
include fostering rural development, including
through measures to raise farm productivity,
and incentivize small and medium non-farm
enterprises. On the other hand, ‘pull’ factors
propelling rural-urban migration likely reflect
urban dynamism. In this situation, countries
can focus on urban services infrastructure such
as housing and transport to sustain consistent
quality of life.
Tailor urban strategies to city size. Whether the
issue is finance, participation or sustainability,
urban strategies will likely differ based on the
size of cities. Megacities attract the greatest share
of national and international investments. Their
management is complex, involving interjurisdictional
coordination. Some priorities for action
include developing new urban management
strategies—a city-wide mega-politan body, for
instance, might be set up to oversee efforts by all