ENVIRONMENT
LEADING BY EXAMPLE INCHEON STRIVES TO BE ONE OF THE GREENEST AIRPORTS ON THE PLANET. S 78
outh Korea is making a concerted effort to cut its carbon emissions as part of its Kyoto Protocol commitments and Incheon Airport is no exception, having set itself the goal of becoming a globally recognised ‘green airport’.
In 2009, the airport unveiled its ‘Global IIAC 2015’
environmental vision; a new green growth strategy designed to ensure that all airport operations are environmentally friendly. It outlined a 10-year plan for green management, energy saving, to become carbon neutral and achieve greater use of renewable power sources such as photovoltaic, geothermal and wind energy. And Incheon Airport has already made signifi cant headway in these areas. In 2010, the airport recycled 35,800 tons, some 78.3% of its total waste; CO2
emissions were cut
by 6,779 tons and energy savings of 7% were achieved on 2008 levels. It also laid the foundations for an emission-free Maglev rail line, which will begin operations in 2014. By 2012, more than 30% of all lighting will have been replaced by LED lamps, saving the airport an estimated $767,716 in energy bills; by 2015 it hopes to increase this to 50% and to have reduced its carbon emissions by 30% or
50,000 tons per year – well ahead of government targets. By 2013, the airport hopes to achieve carbon neutrality, having mapped, reduced and offset its carbon footprint. Achieving these goals will be even more challenging given the airport has embarked on its third phase expansion, due for completion in 2012, which will inevitably increase its energy use and waste.
So why has the airport set itself such challenging goals? According to Hyung-Chul Shin, executive director of Incheon’s Energy and Environment Group, the airport’s green vision refl ects a paradigm shift in South Korean society towards a greater concern for the protection of the environment, a vision the airport is keen to emulate.
“In the past a lot of organisations did not care about the environment, that’s why it became such a hot issue; we felt it was important to become an environmentally friendly company to show our commitment to these ideals,” he says. A major effort has been made to increase recycling and the use of renewable energy sources at the airport, with several on-site facilities dedicated to reducing waste. Some 30,000 tons of wastewater, or roughly 56.5% of the total used in the airport’s daily operations, pass
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