A study shows South Korea still has a long way to go in curbing its carbon dioxide emissions... which grew at a faster pace over the past decade than any other OECD member country apart from Turkey.<br />Korea's reliance on coal-fired power plants is cited as the main culprit.<br />Kim Ji-yeon reports. <br /> South Korea has the fourth highest carbon emissions among the OECD,... following the U.S., Japan and Germany.<br />According to a study by British petroleum giant BP... Korea's carbon dioxide emissions grew by more than two-percent compared to the previous year to reach nearly 680-million tons last year.<br />The study suggests Korea is only taking baby steps in joining the global bandwagon in putting a cap on greenhouse gases.<br /> The country's carbon dioxide emissions recorded double-digit growth of 24-point-6-percent in the decade leading up to 2017.<br />In contrast, emissions by other OECD member countries have decreased by nearly 9-percent during the same period.<br />Only Turkey had a faster rate of emissions growth than Korea with a staggering 50-and-a-half-percent growth rate.<br /> The study attributes Korea's high greenhouse gas emissions to its reliance on fossil fuels for meeting its energy needs, which has also led to high levels of fine dust.<br />It says Korea has the third highest level of coal consumption out of OECD member countries.<br /> In response, Korea's Environment Ministry says it laid out plans late last year to sharply reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by around 37-percent by 2030... to carry out its promise laid out in the 2015 Paris climate change agreement.<br />Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News. <br />
