The city of Incheon has begun crafting a broad, integrated solution by treating the climate crisis and air pollution as a single challenge. The Incheon Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that on August 25 it held the ‘2026 Air Quality Policy Forum’ at the Signature Hall of Gyeongwonjae Ambassador Incheon by Walkerhill in Songdo, jointly with the Metropolitan Fine Dust Research and Management Center and the Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment.
 [코리안투데이] The scene of Incheon’s ‘2026 Air Quality Policy Forum’ © 장형임 기자 |
The forum was organized to discuss integrated measures for reducing pollutant emissions amid a deepening global climate crisis marked by heat waves and heavy rainfall, and to lay out a proactive blueprint for improving air quality that citizens can identify with. The aim is to approach climate crisis response and air quality management not as separate policies but as a single task.
The event drew some 80 participants, including experts and researchers from related agencies such as the Metropolitan Fine Dust Research and Management Center at Inha University, the Metropolitan Air Quality Management Office, the National Institute of Environmental Research and the Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment, as well as industry officials and citizens. Academia, government and industry gathered in one place to discuss ways to strengthen air quality management capabilities.
The discussions focused on the management of pollution sources that had fallen into regulatory blind spots. As ozone concentrations rise with increasing temperatures, and as the need grows to manage emission sources that have drawn relatively little attention, the forum devoted considerable time to intensive management measures for short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as ozone, methane and black carbon, along with strategies for using advanced monitoring equipment.
The forum opened with presentations by four experts on key fields in its first session. In the second session, a panel discussion chaired by Jeon Gi-jun, head of the Metropolitan Fine Dust Research and Management Center, brought together university professors, researchers and the head of Incheon’s Air Quality Conservation Division as panelists. They held a comprehensive debate on the feasibility of effective air policies tailored to Incheon’s regional characteristics and on ways to strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies.
Lee Nam-ju, head of the city’s Climate and Energy Bureau, said, ‘The climate crisis and air pollution are not separate problems, and a broad, integrated response is urgently needed,’ adding, ‘Based on the advanced monitoring techniques and scientific analysis discussed at this forum, we will do our utmost to advance air quality policies that actively respond to climate change and build a city where citizens can breathe with peace of mind—a city that responds proactively to the climate crisis.’
If the monitoring techniques and analytical findings shared at the forum lead to actual policy, they are expected to provide an opportunity to closely examine even the pollution sources that have long been in management blind spots. For citizens, this points to policy changes directly tied to their everyday breathing environment, such as managing ozone concentrations during heat wave periods.
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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