The state of environmental management in South Korea
Certain aspects of environmental management at an infrastructural level are considered impressive by global standards. For example, in waste management, and particularly food management, waste is meticulously processed to prevent further soil and groundwater contamination. Innovative technology has allowed the country to harness renewable energy sources, albeit smaller than ideal in scale. Among the public, there seems to be a general conscientiousness regarding how future generations will experience the natural environment of the country they have grown up in, mainly whether their children will have the opportunity to experience them to the same degree that they had. As such, there is now a consensus for the need to change policy and laws towards protecting the environment and possibly rectifying the damage done.Investments and generational divides
The South Korean government has put considerable expenditure towards protecting the environment. However, with every presidential term and each swing of the political spectrum within the cabinet, environmental policy seems to alternate between more radical and conservative changes, making long-term impact hard to discern. Companies are now also starting to recognize the need to act, if not because of a growing customer base more conscientious about the negative impact of their own consumerism. As industry-based pollution and emissions tend to be the highest and seemingly most adjustable, some companies have stepped forward to either offset or prevent worsening their own emissions. However, the plight of future economic opportunities for younger generations may clash with the country’s aging demographic regarding environmental policy due to fears that environmental protection measures may hinder economically efficient policies. Whether South Korea can work toward having a more sustainable environment where economic opportunities can thrive is thus also dependent on the ability to find a balance between the two.
