The World Climate Industry Expo will be held from Sept. 4-6 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, or BEXCO, in Busan's Haeundae-gu District. Shown is a scene from last year's event in May 2023 at the same venue.

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova
Photos = WCE's official website

An international forum in Busan this week will discuss the use and spread of a carbon-free energy initiative.

Busan Metropolitan City on Sept. 1 announced its hosting of the 2024 World Climate Industry Expo (WCE) from Sept. 4-6 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, or BEXCO, in the city's Haeundae-gu District.

Under the theme "Ushering in a Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) Era with Climate Technology," the second WCE will be jointly hosted by 13 public and private institutions including the city government, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and International Energy Agency (IEA).

The 11 scheduled conferences on climate and energy will include the Korea-IEA Forum and Energy AI Forum, 537 corporate exhibitions on topics like carbon-free energy, future mobility, the environment, oceans and climate, and 55 sideline events.

Officials from 30 embassies in Korea, delegations from 24 countries, representatives from 10 international organizations and experts will discuss a swift transition to clean and sustainable energy.

Korea and the IEA on the morning of Sept. 3 will hold a joint news conference to announce a joint declaration on carbon-free energy, stressing the latter's meaning and significance.

The WCE's opening ceremony on Sept. 4 will have some 1,200 attendees including IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won.

"Busan finds it very meaningful to host this international forum on the implementation and dissemination of a carbon-free energy initiative first proposed by Korea in September last year at the United Nations General Assembly," Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said. "The expo will be an opportunity to promote internationally Busan as a global hub for responding to the climate crisis."

This is the official poster of the World Climate Industry Expo in Busan.