Seoul to Host C40 Seoul Summit and Climate Change Expo

Important global events to show off Seoul's progress on coping with climate change and a green city

Seoul Metropolitan Government will host two most significant international events in Seoul, the 3rd C40 Seoul Summit and Climate Change Expo May 18-21, in the hope that mayors and weather experts from some 80 member countries will understand Seoul's active measures to combat weather change, and reduce greenhouse gas to promote its low-carbon green growth policies. The city hopes the events will also boost its international image and find a suitable model for its green growth efforts while protecting environment.
Following is a written interview with Dir. Gen. Kim Young-han of Climate Change Bureau of Seoul Metropolitan Government:
Question: What is the significance of the 3rd C40 Seoul Summit and Climate Change Expo May 18-21 in Seoul?
Answer: As every one knows, Seoul City designated 2009 as the initial year for Seoul-type green growth. The upcoming international event, C40 Seoul Summit and Climate Change Expo will be used to find a suitable model for Seoul City's green growth while protecting environment.
The C40 summit and climate expo are expected to give top opportunities to boost Seoul's international image and lift the capital city to be a leading city in dealing with weather change. At the same time, the events will raise the citizens' awareness for weather changes as in order to cope with weather change successfully, citizens should agree with the need and participate in the effort.
We expect the events will make the citizens be aware of the need to cope effectively with weather change and participate in the effort with very much concern. The weather change expo, in particular, is expected to contribute a great deal to the industries related to weather change and provide new businesses and jobs.
Q: Can you explain the main topics to be taken up at C40 Seoul Summit?
A: The main theme of the C40 Seoul Summit is "The Results and Tasks to Cope with City's Climate Change." The meeting will go over the successful models of cities' efforts to cope with the weather change and discuss the new methods to cope with the weather conditions.
The summit meeting will hold 7 plenary sessions and 16 subcommittee meetings to deal with subjects like weather change and economic crisis, strong activities toward a low-carbon city, effective ways to cope with weather change and CO2 exhaustion calculation programs, among others.
The gathering will be an effective one in sharing the various possibilities associated with green growth through weather friendly industrial development and change to a low-carbon city amid the economic crisis related to the global energy crisis.

Q: Can you please introduce to our readers the outlines of the events to be held during the C40 Seoul Summit and Seoul Weather Change Expo?
A: The C40 Seoul Summit is a meeting by heads of the member countries of the C40 Climate Leadership Group to discuss matters related to coping with weather changes. The event's official name is "The 3rd Seoul C40 World City Climate Summit. The events are slated to take place from May 18 -21 at Shilla Hotel in downtown Seoul, and mayor of over 80 big cities in the world and weather change experts will participate in the meetings. The weather change expo will be held at Coex in southern Seoul.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will be a keynote speaker at the summit to encourage mayors participating in the meeting. The participants will tour the Cheonggyechon Stream and the Seoul World Cup Park to learn what Seoul City have been doing in the areas of environmental policies.
The weather change expo will exhibit high-tech industries and technologies in the "Yard for Green Growth," and "Citizens' Yard" in the exhibition will show threats and chances from weather changes and practice ideas for citizens, while "Cooperation Yard" in the exhibit will show various policies to cope with weather changes in large cities in the world so that they can be shared jointly.
Q: Can you please explain what are the events to be held on the sidelines of the Seoul Climate Change Expo and the expo itself?
A: Technologies to reduce greenhouse gas, new recycled energy, CDM, and equipment to reduce energy use and new technologies to cope with weather changes will be exhibited.
The expo will have a space for introducing various environmental policies of the participating cities to share the successful experiences of the cities participating in the expo. Weather forecasting, taking photos of weather changes, OX quizzes on weather changes, and a corner for experiencing weather changes, all geared up to the enjoyment of the viewers through watching various displays so that they would be able to raise their understanding for weather change.
Q: Can you please tell our readers about the preparation for the Seoul Weather Change Expo and plans for marketing activities?
A: Seoul Metropolitan Government has been focusing on the preparation of the Seoul Climate Change Expo in the hope that it will create new businesses related to weather and jobs. So far, a total of 16 cities and 39 business firms and 14 organizations made commitment to participate in the expo operating a total of 330 booths.
The event will be an opportunity to show the world our measures to cope with weather change, our intension and capacity as our leading companies will participate in the expo and mingle with mayors of large cities and weather experts from various countries around the world.
For domestic companies, it will be a great opportunity to do business with foreign companies at the event, which is why those companies have been working to use their booths to show their environmentally-friendly management policies, excellent goods and technologies to both domestic and foreign buyers.
As both events are to be held to find measures to cope with weather changes, all the materials to build booths will be environmentally-friendly and hold down on wastes.
Q: What are some of Seoul City's plan to cope with weather change?
A: The city has been running its Save Our Seoul project, an integrated measures to cope with changes in weather with targets to reduce green house gas by 25 percent and save energy by 15 percent by 2020 having declared "Seoul Environmentally-Friendly Energy Declaration" in 2007 for the first time as a local autonomous entity.
In particular, the city set up the Weather Change Countermeasures and using it. It is the collection of various items included in the 2007 Environmentally-friendly Energy Declaration, reflecting strongly the city's intention to reduce Co2. The countermeasures don't give detailed responsibility to citizens, but rather they regulate the city's duty and give incentives to citizens who participate in the greenhouse gas reduction in its key parts.
Under the countermeasure, the city has been collecting a weather change fund to push weather change measures. Seoul City plans to push a weather protection project as part of its metropolitan environmental policy involving traffic, construction, park areas, waste and energy in a comprehensive way. The city plans to come up with guidelines for more effective reduction of greenhouse gas and will go all out to push green house gas reduction projects including those on new recycled energy distribution, rational management of energy in buildings, environmentally-friendly transportation, and expansion of parks and green grass areas in its proper.
In addition, the city will push the weather change adaptation measures by forming a joint network "Climate Action Partnership" and operate it. The city will also set up "greenhouse gas inventory, Seoul Energy Map, and City Weather Monitoring System will also be created to positively participate in the effort to cope with weather change. nw

(right) Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, on the podium, poses for a photo session with mayors of foreign cities who participated in the 2007 C40 Climate Summit in New York.

A mock youth summit, designed to celebrate the upcoming C40 Seoul Summit and Climate Change Expo, was held in Seoul on Nov. 17, 2008.

Dir. Gen. Kim Young-han of Climate Change Bureau of Seoul Metropolitan Government.