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TheEast Asia Climate Partnership (EACP) is Korea's international initiative for global cooperative development. Led by theKorea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), a Korean government agency responsible for providing overseas grant aid, the EACP helps tackleclimate change indeveloping countries and promotesgreen growth inAsia.
Climate changes have serious impacts on both the ecosystems and human well-being. Global warming caused bygreenhouse gas emissions directly impacts temperature and precipitation. It also has indirect effects onwater resources,agriculture,food security,human health, living conditions, eco-products and services.[1]
Since significant portion of the population is concentrated in low-income class, the living environments ofdeveloping countries are more vulnerable to climate change. Especially, damages caused by climate change are the most critical among developing countries where people heavily depend on agriculture and lack sufficient infrastructure.
| Impact | Damages by sector | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Warming | Temperature - Increasing temperature - Changes in seasonal patterns - Rising sea-surface temperature - Rising land-surface temperature and increasing dry land | Water resources - Severewater scarcity due to drought and flood - Low water quality and decrease in usable water due to drought andsaltwater intrusion | |
| Agriculture and food security - Shrinking crop area due to land desolation - Decreasing key crop yields | |||
| Precipitation - Heavy rainfall -Glacier melting - Rising sea level | Human health and living conditions - Contagion ofdengue fever,malaria,waterborne infection - Death and dislocations from community due to natural disasters | ||
| Climate anomalies - Heat wave, torrential rain, localized rainfall - Frequent tropical cyclone strikes - Tsunami - Severe drought | Eco-products and services - Loss of habitats and biodiversity - Loss of marine lives (coral reef bleaching, etc.) - Tsunamis and coastal erosion | ||
| Economy - Economic damage fromextreme weather conditions - Shrinking output in agriculture, forestry, and fishing |
Prior to entering the 21st century, theUN General Assembly announced eight international development goals, called theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, which include eradicatingextreme poverty and developing a new framework for international cooperation. As many developed countries reached consensus that eradicating poverty and environment problems in developing countries are common challenges for the world and as a result, increased the UN target forofficial development assistance (ODA) todeveloping countries.
Global regulations to counteractclimate change often impacteconomic growth fordeveloping countries. In contrast,green growth paradigm reducesgreenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollutions, and promotessustainable development, which enablesdeveloping countries to tackle climate change in their pursuit of botheconomic development andpoverty reduction.
Korea has become the first nation to turn into an aid-donor from an aid-recipient country by joining theDevelopment Assistance Committee (DAC) of theOECD in November 2009. With growing interests in ODA, Korea's grant aid fordeveloping countries increased by more than five times from 159 million USD in 1996 to 752 million USD in 2005.
In order to raise the amount of Korea's ODA up to the developed countries' level, the Korean government announced a national initiative to commit 0.25 percent of itsgross national income into ODA by 2015.
Led by KOICA, a government agency dedicated to providing grant aid programs for developing countries, the East Asia Climate Partnership (EACP) was launched in 2008 to help developing countries inAsia to fightclimate change and promotegreen growth. Proposed at the G8 Extended Summit in June 2008, Korea has committed to provide a total of 200 million USD for the time period of 2008 - 2012 through the EACP in the form of ODA.[2] Through the EACP, Korea seeks to take the lead in promoting green growth in Asia and global cooperation in response to climate change, the most pressing problem for theinternational community. Currently, the KOICA is providing grant aid supports for 21 projects in 10 countries.
The East Asia Climate Partnership (EACP) designated five priority areas based on the regional characteristics, the needs of partner countries and the effectiveness in mitigatingclimate changes.
| Priorities | Background | Major projects |
|---|---|---|
| Water resources management | - Rapid increase in the number of natural disasters, such as flood,typhoon, and drought due to climate changes - Increased importance of stable water resources management by heavily depending on the primary industry, population explosion, and rising food demand | - Water supply facilities (water intake sources, water supply pipelines, water purification systems) - Sewerage facilities (sewage pipelines, enhanced sewage treatment facilities) - Recycling of sewage for forestation (artificial streams, forestation) |
| Waste management | - Serious waste problems due to rapid industrialization and urbanization - A growing need for more environment-friendly waste management | - Landfills for household wastes - Solid waste treatment facilities - Biogas production from livestock manure |
| Low-carbon energy | - The high dependence on fossil fuels resulting in rising greenhouse gas emissions and other serious environmental problems - Growing expectations for new and renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar power | - Feasibility studies and pilot projects for solar power plants - Feasibility studies and pilot projects for wind power plants - Bio-ethanol and bio-diesel power plants - Enhancing the efficiency of electricity |
| Low-carbon cities | - A growing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in partner countries amid rapid economic growth and industrialization - Green industry, a path to new growth engines and sustainable growth | - Master plan for the development of low-carbon cities - Green buildings - Smart public transportation system |
| Forestation and biomass | - Rainforest deforestation in many parts of Asia due to reckless development and rapid industrialization - Ongoing forestation projects in Asia and a growing demand for biomass energy | - Forestation and forest management - Development of wood pellets - Prevention of forest destruction and depletion |
The East Asia Climate Partnership (EACP) aims to develop and implement projects that serve the needs of partner countries and is currently working on the following key projects:
To join the international efforts in addressing water shortages in poor countries, the EACP provides ODA worth 78 billion KRW to Mongolia, Azerbaijan, and the Philippines by 2015.
At the end of 2009, the EACP implemented preparatory works for 15 projects designed to the needs of nine partner countries. It also works to develop three new projects for three partner countries in 2010.
The EACP is working closely with a wide range of international organizations, conducting research on ways toaddress climate change inEast Asia, and supported establishing theGlobal Green Growth Institute (GGGI), which also hosted the East Asian Climate Forum. As part of the efforts to cooperate with international organizations, the EACP is currently supporting the research projects of theAsian Development Bank (ADB), theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and theUnited Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
