National Institute of Environmental Research reported that carbon dioxide emission from automobiles accounted for 14 percent of total carbon dioxide emission (494 million tons) produced in Korea in 2000.

The study was conducted for 10 months since July 2001 and Tier 3, which takes speed, types of cars and driving circumstances into account for measuring, was used as a measurement method. Usually, Tier 1 was used for measuring emission, which was developed by IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel of Climate Change) and assumed the emission amount is coefficient to fuel consumption.

The amount of carbon dioxide from automobiles, which totaled 67 million tons in the year, was 20 times that of all air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulfur monoxide and fine dust, according to the study.

Among automobile emissions, carbon dioxide emission took up 99% of total emission, followed by 7000 tons of N2O and 6000 tons of CH4.

The study showed a total of 7.68 million cars produced 22.8 million tons of carbon dioxide, while 1.82 million buses including vans, and 2.54 million trucks emitted 15 million tons and 29 million tons of carbon dioxide respectively.

This study is expected to give fundamental information on current status of greenhouse emission and direction to cut the gases. It is particularly important in recent days since Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is likely to take effect within this year.

As of June, 74 countries, including 22 advanced countries, have joined the protocol. When it takes effect, 39 advanced nations will be obligated to cut the level of heat-trapping gases to the level in 1990 during the first-stage from 2008 to 2012.

Korea is excluded from the 39 countries, but as the 10th largest greenhouse gas producer; hence the pressure to cut emission will get stronger.