A citizen walks at a riverside park in Yeouido in western Seoul on March 11, 2021, as South Korea issued a fine dust advisory. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the outbreak of the coronavirus, the density of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere above the Korean Peninsula has exceeded its previous high.
According to a report released on Thursday by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the density of carbon dioxide measured by the Climate Change Observation Station in Anmyeon Island off the west coast in South Chungcheong Province reached an all-time high of 420.4 parts per million (ppm) last year, up 2.7 ppm from a year ago.
The density of carbon dioxide over the Korean peninsula has increased by 2.4 ppm on average per year since measurements were first recorded in 1999.
As overall social and economic activities slowed down last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of carbon dioxide emissions declined by 7 percent in South Korea and also around the world.
Nonetheless, the density of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased by 2.7ppm last year, the same as the annual average growth rate for the 10 years from 2010 to 2019.
“Once is has been emitted, carbon dioxide remains accumulated in the atmosphere. Even if emissions are reduced, it’s difficult to witness any immediate effect,” the KMA said.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
