SKorea cuts back on driving to save energy
South Korea said it would drastically reduce the use of government vehicles from next week as part of emergency measures aimed at saving energy amid soaring oil prices.
By Agencies |
SEOUL: South Korea said on Sunday it would drastically reduce the use of government vehicles from next week as part of emergency measures aimed at saving energy amid soaring oil prices.
Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo said more than 15,000 vehicles at 819 government offices or state-run bodies would be forced to remain idle every other day from July 15.
Vehicles with even-numbered licence plates would be banned from running on even-numbered days, and those with odd-numbered plates restricted from operating on odd-numbered days, Han said.
The mandatory move would take effect for the first time since the 1988 Olympics in Seoul when South Korea took the same step to ease traffic and air pollution.
"Even oil-producing countries are tightening their belts to save energy in the era of the ultra high oil prices," Han told a news conference, stressing the government should lead the energy-saving campaign.
"To take concrete measures to save energy is not a matter of choice but a matter of survival."
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South Korea, the world's fifth-largest oil importer, buys all of its oil overseas. The recent surge in oil prices has increasingly strained its economy.
The price of oil is at a historic high approaching 150 dollars a barrel, an increase of more than 100 percent in the past year.
Strategy and Finance Minister Kang Man-Soo said citizens would be forced to take mandatory energy-saving steps if prices exceed 170 dollars a barrel.
Sunday's package of emergency measures aimed at saving energy stipulates that the government would replace half of its vehicles with energy-efficient compact or hybrid cars by 2012.
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It also obliges government buildings to adjust air conditioning or heating systems up or down one degree to save energy.
It recommends citizens voluntarily cut back on driving and commercial lighting at stores or restaurants in the evening.
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