Leaders and officials from more than 140 countries gathered in Paris to kick off historic talks to set a new legally binding regime to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

President Park Geun-hye was also in the French capital to express Korea’s commitment to joining the global endeavors to fight global warming.

“We must marshal the collective will and capacities of the entire world and make absolutely sure that this Climate Change Conference gives birth to a new climate regime,” Park told the leaders’ event of the U.N. conference.

In June, Korea, the seventh-largest producer of carbon dioxide, offered to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent from projected levels by 2030.

There is no doubt that Korea should keep up with its peers in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for which the government needs a comprehensive, well-designed strategy for energy use.

In this regard, recently released statistics raise concerns about the nation’s energy policy, which is still too focused on nuclear energy and overlooks the importance of renewables.

According to the World Factbook issued by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Korea possessed a power generation capacity of 94 gigawatts, placing it 13th in the world, almost on a par with its economic power. But the country relies heavily on nuclear power, while its use of renewable energy ranks near the bottom in the world.

The Factbook showed that Korea gets 26.8 percent of its electric power from nuclear power, trailing only France, Armenia and Belgium. Among the world’s top 10 producers of electricity, South Korea’s reliance on nuclear power is the highest, with the exception of France.

Although Korea lacks natural resources, it is the ninth-largest consumer of energy in the world. So it would be inevitable for the country to depend on nuclear power, which is relatively cheap and clean, as well as fossil-fuel power.

But the CIA Factbook definitely shows that the proportion of nuclear power is excessive. More worrisome is that the government plans to increase the number of nuclear power plants in the coming years.  

In June, the government announced that it would build two more nuclear reactors within the next 15 years, which will bring the total number to 36 by 2029. Under the plan, nuclear power will account for 28.5 percent of electricity generation in 2029.

In contrast with the heavy reliance on nuclear power, Korea gets only 1.9 percent of its power from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro power, according to the CIA Factbook. This placed the country 82nd in the ranking of 138 countries cited by the report.

Korea does not have a favorable environment for renewable energy, but the Factbook ranking should awaken policymakers to the importance of increasing its use. 

Seemingly recognizing the situation, the government announced in July a package of plans to foster what it called the “new energy sector.” In Paris, President Park mentioned some of the plans, vowing to spearhead efforts to cut carbon emissions through the development of new energy industries.
Park took the plan to turn a major island into an electric car-only haven as an example. The plan calls for Jejudo Island to become a carbon free island by replacing all cars with electric vehicles and meeting 100 percent of its energy needs with renewable sources.

But the Factbook is evidence that such a showcase project will not be sufficient for the country to meet the challenge of increasing the use of renewable energy. Park needs the same strong commitment as the one that propelled the “green growth policy” of her predecessor and should come up with more concrete action plans.