Korea National Railway joins global carbon-neutrality initiative

Korea National Railway became the first public infrastructure institution in the country to declare participation in the Science Based Targets initiative on Thursday.

With this, the organization moves into full-scale efforts toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, including establishing science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets and spreading a company-wide culture of carbon-neutrality practice.

The Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi, is an international cooperative framework that supports and verifies corporate greenhouse gas reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting the rise in global average temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The declaration aims to strengthen the organization's carbon-neutrality framework by setting scientifically grounded greenhouse gas reduction targets aligned with international standards and systematically managing emissions from key projects such as railway construction and facility management.

Following the declaration, Korea National Railway invited Julian Quintart, a broadcaster and environmental activist from Belgium, to deliver a lecture titled "The Future Changed by Our Choices." The session covered the importance of responding to the climate crisis, the role of railways as an eco-friendly mode of transport, and carbon-reduction actions that can be taken in the workplace and in daily life.

"This declaration of SBTi participation is a meaningful first step toward formalizing greenhouse gas reduction targets that meet international standards and translating them into concrete action and results," Chairman Jeong Jin-hyeok said. "We will continue to lead the way in achieving national carbon neutrality and spreading an eco-friendly management culture, backed by the expansion of green railway infrastructure and the voluntary efforts of our employees."