高等教育在绿色转型中的作用：大韩民国的倡议

DECEMBER2023 The Role of Tertiary Educationfor Green Transition: Initiativesin the Republic of Korea KEY POINTS •Green transition demandstransformative innovationsin the economy andsociety. Tertiary educationinstitutions in the Republicof Korea are actively engagedin expanding their greeninnovation activities. Dukwoo JunLead for Circular EconomyCommunity of Practice,Intergovernmental OrganizationChampioning Green Growth andClimate Resilience Paul VandenbergPrincipal EconomistEconomic Analysis andOperations Support Division,Economic Research and DevelopmentImpact DepartmentADB •The central governmenthas initiated incentiveprograms to encouragehigher education institutionsto develop interdisciplinarygreen education andresearch courses. Meekyung ShinEducation SpecialistHuman and Social DevelopmentSector Office, Sectors GroupAsian Development Bank (ADB) Jiyoun SeoAssociate Professor, Departmentof Nano Energy EngineeringPusan National UniversityRepublic of Korea •Universities have formedstrategic partnerships withprivate businesses andcreated industry–universitycollaborative educationcourses and research anddevelopment to respondto the future needs ofhuman resources andgreen technology. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In June 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted the recommendation on“Learning for the Green Transition and Sustainable Development.”1This is a key policyhighlighting the crucial role of education and training in helping to achieve the goals ofthe European Green Deal. Along with Europe, other regions and countries are grapplingwith the threat and impact of climate change. They are now examining the critical rolethat education—including tertiary education—can play in devising strategies, developingtechnology, and reskilling, upskilling, and “greenskilling” the workforce. •To facilitate technologycommercialization,universities have enhancedstart-up-incubating systemsby establishing technology-holding companies andother mechanisms. In the Republic of Korea (ROK), human resource development has been an engineof economic growth, with tertiary education contributing significantly to technology-intensive innovation and industry transformation since the 1960s. Recognizingthe importance of transitioning to a low-carbon and climate resilient economy,the government has recently advanced green development strategies, targeting theachievement of carbon neutrality by 2050 and investing in low-carbon activities. •Local governments and localcampuses are cooperatingto develop new regionaleconomic growth enginesas the green transformationresults in the phasing outof gray industries andthe promotion of greenbusinesses and investments. The authors thank the following for their comments and suggestions for this publication: Fook YenChong, Senior Social Sector Specialist; Ryotaro Hayashi, Social Sector Economist; and Brajesh Panth,former Chief, Education Sector Group, ADB. 1European Union Law. 2022. Commission Staff Working Document Accompanying the documentProposal for a Council Recommendation on learning for environmental sustainability; EuropeanCommission. 2022. Learning for the green transition and sustainable development. 16 June. ISBN 978-92-9270-591-6 (print)ISBN 978-92-9270-592-3 (electronic)ISSN 2071-7202 (print)ISSN 2218-2675 (electronic)Publication Stock No. BRF240008-2DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/BRF240008-2 ADB BRIEFS NO. 287 THE KOREAN NEW DEALAND WORKFORCE PLANNING The government is also strengthening its support for vulnerablegroups and regions—recognizing that carbon-intensive industrieswill decline, green industries will rise and occupational and skillsdemands will need to change. The first version of the Korean New Deal was announced in July2020. Since then, the government has upgraded and elaboratedfurther its green transition schemes. The Long-Term WorkforceDemand Outlook 2020-2035: Reflecting Digital and Low-CarbonTransformation was subsequently released based on the NewDeal. The outlook provides industry-specific, long-term workforcedemand forecasts. Subsequently, the Korean New Deal 2.0 wasadopted in July 2021 and the Carbon Neutrality and Green GrowthAct was approved in August 2021, after comprehensive nationalconsultation. In this context, higher education institutions, with support fromgovernment, are making advances in three key areas. First, theyare changing curricula and offering more green-focused coursesand degree programs. Second, they are conducting research anddevelopment (R&D) on new technologies to address climatechange. Third, they are working with the private sector tocommercialize green innovation, including through the incubationof green technology (green-tech) start-ups. The government isaware that climate change and the greening of the economy mayexacerbate local and regional disparities in economic opportunity.As such, the national government has launched several initiatives tohelp local governments partner with local universities to devise andimplement