동북아의 환경·에너지협력을 적극 추진해야

Environmental and Energy Cooperation in Northeast Asia: A Starting point to realize a Regional Community

Heavy smog containing fine dust in the Seoul sky and pollution of the Yellow Sea seem to be typical result of the rapid economic growth of the countries in the region.Polluted air and water spread crossing the national borders, and a country alone is not capable to control such fatal harms to the inhabitants in these days. Any country is not allowed to deny its responsibility to mitigate pollution with an old excuse of national sovereignty.Unlike European precedent, it seems to be very difficult for 3 countries in Northeast Asia to make a regional integration, which is essential for the peace and common prosperity of the region as a whole. Main obstacle for this kind of integration comes from the heterogenic nature of the region in geographical, historical and cultural perspectives. Especially in this transitional period of Chinese rise as G-2 power, emotional frictions between the two major powers prevent the process of smooth integration in the region. Under the circumstances, environmental cooperation or energy cooperation could serve as a good starting point for an eventual integration among the countries, because it doesn’t have any difficult political implication. Therefore, Korea as a middle country between developed Japan and developing China should take an initiative to promote an environmental cooperation as well as energy cooperation in the region. Three countriesshould expedite the process and upgrade the activities of the present cooperation institutions in the environmental and energy field.