요약 본문
The budget allocated to the Carbon Neutral Points System, which is being operated to spread the practice of carbon neutrality, will increase next year. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced on the 10th that it has allocated a budget of 18.1 billion KRW for the Carbon Neutral Points System in the green living practice sector, an increase of 13.1% from this year. The improvement plan focuses on expanding the system to provide continuous benefits throughout the year and contribute to achieving national greenhouse gas reduction targets (NDC).
The Carbon Neutral Points System has been implemented since 2022 under the Carbon Neutral and Green Growth Framework Act for addressing the climate crisis, offering benefits for 12 practice items such as issuing electronic receipts. With 2.08 million participants, the budget has been exhausted early each year since last year, leading to a suspension of point distribution. Based on surveys and discussions, the Climate Ministry increased the budget of the Carbon Neutral Points System to 18.1 billion KRW and adjusted item prices based on carbon reduction potential, difficulty, and daily usage levels.
For example, the price for high-quality recycling items will increase from 100 KRW to 300 KRW, and the use of shared bicycles will go up from 50 KRW to 100 KRW. On the other hand, the price for issuing electronic receipts, which has less carbon reduction and high daily usage, will decrease from 100 KRW to 10 KRW. The prices for existing items have been lowered, and new items like promoting the circular economy and expanding renewable energy are being introduced. Various new practice items include tree planting for carbon sinks, installing home balcony solar panels, and more.
To encourage participation, monthly and yearly excellent participants will be selected and rewarded, and systems to form groups and increase participant interest will be implemented. The Climate Ministry plans to contribute to energy welfare for vulnerable groups, and this improvement plan will be executed starting January next year after discussions with relevant agencies and notification amendments. Climate Energy Policy Office Director Oh Il-young emphasized the increasing public interest and participation in carbon neutrality practices, promising to ensure more people can benefit from these initiatives.