Green infrastructure key to sustainable growth This is the 15 th installment in a series of articles shedding light on Korea ' s territorial policies - an integral part of the nation ' s development strategy . Researchers from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements , a state - run institute committed to studying means of enhancing the use of national territory , will deal with about two dozen themes related to formulating the territorial development strategy . - Ed . Green growth has emerged as the central agenda to lead the post - crisis world economy . Governments around the world are racing to promote environmentally friendly industries , technologies and jobs . " Green " has become a keyword of major economic policies and an indispensible term for social issues . Infrastructure construction , which once represented development without considering the environment , is no exception . The New Economics Foundation of Britain has proposed the " Green New Deal " initiative to overcome the triple crunch of the credit crisis , climate change and the energy crisis . Green infrastructure is a representative policy for the Green New Deal which simultaneously pursues environmental protection and growth . The term of green infrastructure has been used since the mid - 1990 s to emphasize the importance of protecting the natural environment in land development . Combined with the green growth concept , the term now has a broader meaning referring to new infrastructure businesses that underpin sustainable development and future growth engines . From the intellectual transportation system to smart grids , to smart highways and to green buildings , green infrastructure mitigates greenhouse gas emissions , minimizes the impact of development on the natural environment and drives new growth by utilizing and converging information and communications technology , biotechnology and nanotechnology . Governments have pursued policies for sustainable and environmentally - friendly infrastructure for a long time . But those policies were tied to the somewhat passive objectives of reducing environmental destruction in the process of development . New green infrastructure policy is based on a fundamentally different perspective . It looks to a positive harmony between the environment and growth . As such , recent government investments in infrastructure aimed at overcoming the economic crisis are focusing on green infrastructure businesses . Renewable energies , green homes and smart grids take the lion ' s share of expansionary fiscal expenditures across the world . The United States , for example , earmarked 10 . 4 percent of its stimulus spending for investment in energy efficiency , renewable energy such as wind power and green energy industries . China ' s planned investment in wind , solar and other renewable energy sources makes up 37 . 8 percent of the state outlay to boost the economy . Green infrastructure policy Korea ' s green infrastructure policy started in earnest with the low - carbon , green growth initiative which the government adopted in August 2008 . The government unveiled the Green New Deal policy in January 2009 promising to invest 50 trillion won and create 956 , 000 new jobs . Top on the list were green infrastructure projects involving green living space ( homes , offices , schools , rivers and streams ) , the cleanup and renovation of four major rivers , environmentally friendly mid - and small - sized dams , green transportation , renewable energy and green information networks . Green infrastructure figured prominently in other national initiatives such as the strategy to promote new growth engine businesses . The policy goal of green infrastructure can be summarized as " the development of new growth engines that prop up green growth . " The government has set four policy directions to achieve the goal - a transport system with less carbon emissions , developing clean energy to replace fossil fuels , boosting efficiency and safety through new technologies , and fostering new growth engines based on green technology . 1 ) Low - emissions transport system : Korea is focusing its emissions mitigation efforts on the transportation sector , in which the nation registered twice as fast an emissions growth as the OECD average . As for automobiles , which account for 78 percent of the emissions by Korea ' s transport industry , the government is working to speed up the commercialization of electric vehicles and build the necessary infrastructure . Korea ' s latest standards of fuel efficiency ( more than 17 kilometers per liter ) and its emissions ceiling ( less than 140 grams per kilometer ) set in July 2009 are stricter than those of the United States . The government plans to apply the regulations to all vehicles by 2015 . It is also implementing various measures to ease congestion , aiming to reduce emissions by an estimated 310 , 000 tons per year . For example , the transport authorities are expanding the wireless toll payment system Hi - pass , providing drivers with traffic information through intelligent transportation systems and allowing driving on hard shoulders during peak hours . on the side of supply , the government is promoting novel road construction technology less dependent on carbon - heavy materials such as cement , concrete , steel and asphalt . The government is also seeking to make ports green by expanding the use of railways and marine transport for moving freight to and from ports , increasing use of renewable energy in handling cargo , promoting eco - friendly disposal and recycling of ocean wastes , developing port waterfronts and enhancing safety measures against the effects of climate change . 2 ) Clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels : Countries are waging cutthroat competition to take the lead in developing clean energy based on solar , wind , tidal and geothermal power . Advanced countries have already consolidated their presence in renewable energy industries through huge state spending on research and development . Korea , lagging behind in technology and production capabilities , is strategically focusing on areas in which the latecomer can take advantage of its natural environment . For example , Korea ' s relatively large tidal range offers favorable conditions for tidal power generation . A tidal power generation plant is under construction around Sihwa Lake . With the world ' s largest capacity of 254 , 000 kilowatts , the facility will be completed by the end of 2010 to meet the electricity needs of 500 , 000 people . Clean energy development still confronts many hurdles . Installation of solar panels and construction of wind power plants require vast sizes of landmass and space , and could damage the natural environment . For example , building wind power complexes around mountain peaks could destroy forests . Tidal power plants also could degenerate marine eco - systems . Ethanol extraction for eco - friendly automobile fuels could result in massive destruction of Amazon forests . In addition , clean energy is still far behind fossil - based energy in terms of economic value . Its unit costs of development are high and its energy output efficiency is low . So , the promotion of development of clean energy requires massive financial support from governments . In this regard , the Korean government is directing its clean energy efforts toward minimizing the impact on the natural environment , overcoming deficiencies in technology and production capabilities , raising the technological localization rates and improving economic efficiency of green energy sources . 3 ) Higher safety and efficiency through new technologies : This is the core future - oriented policy direction for green infrastructure . Backed by advanced information and communications technology and infrastructure , Korea has a competitive edge in this area . By harnessing its novel technologies , the nation can reduce costs in meeting green infrastructure needs , which otherwise would cost a lot . Moreover , the increasing frequency and scale of natural disasters resulting from global warming and earthquakes has raised public awareness of the environment and heightened demand for infrastructure that is safer and more environmentally friendly . Projects aimed to boost efficiency of existing facilities , such as smart grids and intelligent water leakage control , will save considerable costs and reduce energy consumption , thus contributing to fighting global warming . A smart grid system applies information technology to existing electricity networks . Through two - way communication between power suppliers and consumers , it enables homes and factories to use electricity at off - peak hours . Ground was broken on the world ' s largest open test bed complex for the system on Jeju Island in August 2009 . The center will be a cornerstone for the nation ' s plan to commercialize and export smart grid and related technologies , as well as provide the chance to promote Korea ' s advanced green infrastructure technology worldwide . Other examples include the " mobile harbor " system poised to change the conventional location pattern of seaports which require deep waters . " Fog cannon " technology for controlling fog and air pollutants can be applied to diverse uses , including helping the operations of airplanes , extinguishing forest fires and cleaning up the atmosphere in specific areas . 4 ) Fostering new growth engines based on green technology : The government hopes to develop green technology in the above - mentioned areas into the nation ' s next - generation growth engines . The 17 new growth engine businesses announced in May 2009 included six green technology sectors - renewable energy , low - carbon energy , sophisticated water treatment , LED applications , green transportation and green cities . Green infrastructure strategies Green infrastructure is a new policy paradigm which is vital not only to overcoming the current economic crisis but also to coping with looming environmental and energy crises , and pursuing sustainable economic development . In the recent G 20 Low - carbon Competitiveness Report published by Third Generation Environmentalism , a British think tank , Korea ranked 4 th in the low - carbon competitiveness index . The report citied " the highest level of high - technology exports , the most efficient electricity transmission network , high rates of investment in physical capital , and low rates of depletion of natural capital . " But the nation placed 15 th in the low - carbon improvement index and 8 th in the low - carbon gap index , which measures the difference between the current and target indices . The government said , " The high ranking in low - carbon competitiveness reflects the strong potential of Korea ' s green industries and technology , and the government ' s determination to develop them . But the low positions in improvement and gap indices showed that Korea still has room to make much more effort in comparison to its capacity to reduce emissions . " The comment indicated the government ' s firm commitment to a consistent and more active green growth drive . For a successful green infrastructure policy , the Korean government is advised to consider the following strategies : First , the government needs to set clear and detailed policy goals embodying " green " and " growth " visions . Clearly stated goals relating to , for instance , emissions cuts , improvement of infrastructure service and contribution to economic growth , will give a clear definition to the concept of green infrastructure and facilitate the achievement of those goals . Second , green infrastructure requires a proper division of roles and a close cooperation between the pubic and private sectors . Private businesses should lead the way in developing green infrastructure , which is entirely based on creative technologies . But technological innovation has a high level of risks . So , the government should play a role of minimizing the risks while staying vigilant against possible moral hazards . The government needs to strategically select and concentrate support on projects that best satisfy the standards of feasibility , effect , growth potential and appropriateness of state support . Third , projects to improve efficiency of supply and maintenance of existing infrastructure facilities deserve more emphasis . Changing methods of supply and maintenance of existing infrastructure can reduce costs , improve services and deter demands for new infrastructure construction . This will help slash greenhouse gas emissions and significantly save state spending on infrastructure . In conclusion , the green infrastructure policy will contribute to the nation ' s economic recovery and creation of green jobs . Green technology know - how obtained through the process will also boost exports and sustain economic growth by providing the nation with solid ground in new markets created by global responses to climate change , including the Clean Development Mechanism and the cap - and - trade system . ( The Korea Herald . 4342 . 12 . 28 ) By Ahn Hong - ki