Railway Industry and Climate Change Response

The railroad industry is the best means of transportation to respond to climate change, as it is more energy efficient than the automobile and aircraft industries and emits about six times less greenhouse gases. As of 2018, the transportation sector of railroads emits 2.6% of greenhouse gases, but greenhouse gases should be reduced by converting diesel locomotives to new and renewable energy locomotives and electric locomotives. However, the Framework Act on the Railway Industry, the Railroad Safety Act, the Railroad Construction Act, and the Railroad Business Act do not have legal and institutional mechanisms to respond to climate change or adapt to the climate crisis. Review the legislation and precedents of France and the United States to seek implications for Korea. The Framework Act on the Railway Industry shall establish and implement the national freight and passenger transport sharing rate and the greenhouse gas reduction target, and shall be improved to include matters on climate change and response to the climate crisis in the national policies and basic plans. The Railway Construction Act should also monitor the effects of climate change, such as extreme heat waves, extreme cold waves, extreme strong winds (types), extreme floods, and extreme wildfires, analyze the cost-benefit analysis of adverse effects on railway infrastructure to build them in advance, and maintain them to improve the quality of railway infrastructure, and include climate change response and adaptation to the climate crisis in the railway network plan. The Railway Business Act and the Railroad Safety Act should be revised to ban the operation of diesel locomotives in stages, such as California and the United Kingdom, to raise funds for the conversion of diesel locomotives to environment-friendly locomotives, report their status to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and stipulate that diesel locomotives cannot be idled for more than 30 minutes. Finally, railway stations and structures should be installed with geothermal power plants and solar power plants, and certified as carbon-zero buildings.