A Korean company will send electronic motorbikes to Cambodia to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions there. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Jihae

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is assisting Cambodia's efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

The ministry on July 22 said the Cambodian government on July 18 officially authorized a Korean company's project for global carbon reduction and held a ceremony on July 21 in Phnom Penh featuring bilateral dialogue and an international forum on boosting bilateral cooperation.

The company VeryWords will distribute electronic motorbikes and charging stations in Cambodia to cut greenhouse gas emissions there. The reductions will count toward Korea's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for lowering such gases.

The project is Korea's first for mitigating carbon under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted in 2015. Seoul's plan is to cut 680,000 tons of greenhouse gases, 400,000 of which will count toward Korea's NDC.

The two countries will expand the range of bilateral cooperation focused on transportation.

The ministry held bilateral talks with Cambodia's relevant branches such as the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Ministry of Mines and Energy on future cooperation.

At the International Mitigation Forum on July 22, representatives from the Cambodian government, Korean companies active in Cambodia and international organizations discussed bilateral carbon market strategies, expansion of private-public cooperation and possible collaboration in future projects.

jihlee08@korea.kr