Greenhouse gas emissions from households increase during pandemic

With people spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of greenhouse gases released from households in Seoul has increased over the past two years.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday announced the result of its greenhouse gas inventory. According to the data, the estimated amount of greenhouse gas emissions in Seoul last year was 45.462 million tons, down 8.1 percent from that of 2005, when the city declared it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and 0.3 percent from that of last year.

Since 2005, greenhouse gas emissions in Seoul have decreased by an average of 0.5 percent annually. Emissions from transport, industry and power sectors have reduced in particular. The city government explained that improvements in the fuel efficiency of automobiles and the relocation of factories with high emissions to other areas contributed to the reduction in emissions.

However, greenhouse gas emissions from households have increased since the pandemic. Emissions from households have increased about 6.3 percent in two years from 12,565 tons in 2019 to 13,351 tons in 2021. Greenhouse gas emissions from households have been on the rise. As self-isolation and working from home have become the new norm in the pandemic, the use of heating and cooling equipment has increased, leading to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenhouse gas emissions from waste in 2020 have also increased 3.3 percent compared to 2019, The increase in the use of disposable products is largely attributable to the increase. Yoon Yeon-sik, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Climate Environment Division, said the city will do its best to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by sticking to its greenhouse gas reduction policy.


4g1@donga.com