Seoul, Dec. 27 (BNA): South Korea aims to reduce the average annual level of ultrafine dust particles in the country by 30% by 2032, the Environment Ministry said.
Under its latest countermeasure to tackle the country’s worsening air pollution problem, the government aims to reduce the average annual density of ultrafine dust particles to 12 micrograms per cubic meter by 2032 from 18 micrograms per cubic meter calculated in 2021.
Ultrafine particulate matter is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter and is also known as PM 2.5. According to Yonhap, the first-class carcinogen is found in dust, soot and smoke.
This measure is the third of its kind after the second targeted for the period 2016-2025.
According to the ministry, the average annual density of ultrafine dust particles in the country decreased in 2021 from 26 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
Regardless, the number is still above the highest average annual emissions level recommended by the World Health Organization. The previous recommendation was 10 micrograms per cubic meter, but the revision has halved it to 5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021.
The country’s 2021 tally also hovers above the average annual tally of OECD members, the ministry said.
In order to achieve the goal for the next ten years, the government will take measures to improve the seasonal fine dust management program.
The government aims to provide more zero-emission cars so that the cumulative number will reach 2 million by 2027 and 4.5 million by 2030.
The government also plans to ban Class 5 diesel vehicles, the lowest in the country’s five-tier emissions standard, in the cities of Gwangju, Daejeon, Seong and Ulsan by 2030.
Currently, Class 5 diesel vehicles are banned in Seoul and its vicinity from December to March each year.
SM