GLOBAL CONFERENCE TO CUT GREENHOUSE GAS

[Anchor Lead]

As part of efforts to prevent climate change and environmental pollution, South Korea needs to submit a plan on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations next year as part of the 2015 Paris climate agreement. A global meeting was held in Spain to decide on how much greenhouse gas will be cut and how to achieve that goal. The conference was even extended for two days but countries still failed to produce a concrete action plan.

[Pkg]

Environment authorities of 197 countries including South Korea gathered in Spain. They discussed detailed measures to increase the greenhouse gas reduction target as greenhouse gases are a key contributing factor to climate change.

[Soundbite] CAROLINA SCHMIDT(CHILE'S ENVIRONMENT MINISTER(CHAIR NATION))

Participating nations extended the conference for two days but still failed to reach an agreement. Around 200 countries signed the 2015 Paris climate agreement. To implement the plan, they need to submit a greenhouse gas reduction target to the UN next year and major economies including Korea must carry out the agreement from 2021. If countries fail to implement their pledged targets, they need to meet their goal by all means through purchasing carbon emission rights from other countries. However, during the talks in Spain, developing and developed nations are known to have widely differed over specific guidelines on emission trading rules. But separately from the failed talks, Korea still plans to purchase some 16 million tons of greenhouse gas emission rights from overseas by the year 2030.

[Soundbite] HWANG SEOK-TAE(MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT) : "As countries struggle to agree on global carbon market regulations, Korea will strengthen its own reduction efforts and find more effective ways to do so."

Environment groups worldwide are disappointed over the deadlock saying that countries have yet again put their national interest first. In protest, demonstrators held a rally and poured horse excrement outside the conference venue.