The Incheon Metropolitan Government is embarking on a large-scale urban forest initiative to plant 30 million trees over the ten years from 2026 to 2035, aiming to respond to the climate crisis and expand its carbon sinks. Once completed, the project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 18,000 tons (tCO2eq) each year.
 [코리안투데이] An urban forest site where trees are being planted under the Incheon Future Forest Project © 장형임 기자 |
The Incheon Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that it will begin the 「Green City Incheon Future Forest Project」 in earnest, planting a total of 30 million trees over the decade from 2026 to 2035 in order to support the nation’s 2035 greenhouse gas reduction target (NDC) and to improve the urban environment.
The project aims to reconnect severed green corridors within the city and restore its ecosystem, with Incheon’s 3.05 million citizens joining in the spirit of each planting one tree every year for ten years.
Incheon has geographic characteristics that make it prone to inflows of fine dust from outside, given its location along the West Coast. On top of this, large industrial complexes, the Sudokwon Landfill, and thermal power facilities are densely concentrated in the area, giving it a relatively high share of greenhouse gas emissions. For these reasons, there have been steady calls to systematically expand urban green spaces and restore the ecosystem.
The city plans to plant the 30 million trees in stages by 2035, including 12 million in the public sector and 18 million in the private sector. Once the project is complete, an annual reduction of about 18,000 tons (tCO2eq) of greenhouse gases is anticipated. Beyond absorbing carbon, the city expects the initiative to deliver a range of environmental benefits, such as reducing urban fine dust, easing the urban heat island effect, and lowering road noise.
Incheon has previously carried out the ‘Green Incheon 3 Million Tree Planting’ project (2003-2006) and the ‘New Green City 30 Million Tree Planting’ project (2016-2025), steadily expanding the area of urban forest within residents’ living zones per capita. This latest project is a follow-up large-scale undertaking that builds on those achievements.
Detailed tasks include commemorative tree-planting events involving Incheon’s 3.05 million citizens, the creation of neighborhood urban forests designed to reduce fine dust, the development of parks and green spaces to expand leisure areas for residents, and the restoration and conservation of forests to prevent disasters and strengthen forest welfare. This is expected to bring about change that goes beyond simply expanding green space, directly touching residents’ everyday living environment, health, and leisure.
Ha Cheol-jong, head of Incheon’s Green Space Policy Division, said, ‘This project goes beyond merely expanding green space; it is a key climate crisis response that contributes directly to achieving the nation’s 2035 greenhouse gas reduction target,’ adding, ‘Together with Incheon’s 3.05 million citizens, we will pool our wisdom and capabilities to complete Incheon as a pleasant, green, eco-friendly city of the future.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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