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South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers a keynote address at the first Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 summit held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Oct. 20, 2018. (Yonhap News)

The 2021 Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Seoul Summit will begin Sunday.

The P4G Seoul Summit, which Seoul will host as a videoconference on Sunday and Monday, represents the second round in this year’s diplomatic wrangling over global climate change.

At the first round — the Leaders Summit on Climate, hosted by the US on April 22 —countries discussed their plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. At the P4G Seoul Summit, they will explore ways for the whole world to work together on sustainable development.

Since the latest summit is being held in South Korea, it gives the South Korean government a chance both to let the world know about its commitment to action on climate change and to expand its influence at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which the UK will be hosting in November.

That’s also why South Korea will be launching its Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality by 2050, which will coordinate the country’s efforts to implement carbon neutrality on Saturday, one day before the P4G Seoul Summit. The big question is whether the summit can help South Korea take on a leading role in cooperation on climate change.

The name “P4G” is short for “Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030.” At its core, it is about international cooperation to achieve sustainable development in the climate crisis era. Because of this, it breaks with the format of focusing on the climate change response by advanced economies and includes large-scale representation from developing economies, international organizations and businesses.

Around 20 countries are expected to participate — more than the 12 that had been initially reported. Leaders will be meeting via videoconference from Asia (South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh), Europe (Denmark and the Netherlands), Central and South America (Mexico, Colombia and Chile), and Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa).

Twenty-one international organizations are also set to participate, including the Green Climate Fund, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the UN Environment Programme.

US President Joe Biden is also scheduled to take part via videoconference. In a joint press conference following his summit with Biden on Friday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said, “Our two nations are already spearheading global cooperation in climate change response.”

“President Biden will participate in the P4G Seoul Summit next week virtually. I welcome his participation,” he added.

Also attending virtually will be Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the UK, the host country for the COP26 this November, along with former UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and current COP26 President Alok Sharma.

The focus of international cooperation at the meeting is on supporting developing countries. Equitable sharing of responsibility for climate change response between advanced and developing economies has been a longstanding issue.

The 2015 Paris Agreement stressed the importance of advanced economies spearheading efforts to support the climate change response in developing economies. Against this backdrop, the Seoul summit aims to identify climate change response solutions to provide to developing economies in five areas: food/agriculture, water, energy, cities and the circular economy.

Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 is a global platform pioneering green partnerships to deliver inclusive and sustainable growth. (provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

As a reflection of this aim, the South Korean government is organizing separate sessions as host countries, with the Ministry of Environment (MOE), Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) presenting strategies for climate change response.

To begin with, the MOE will be sharing government plans for water management technology to overcome the climate crisis and for a transition to a zero-waste society.

The MOTIE will be sharing an approach to achieving carbon neutrality in the area of energy, while the MOLIT will be discussing strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cities, including public transportation and buildings.

The emphasis in the MOLIT session appears likely to be on the importance of information and communications technology in achieving carbon-neutral cities. The MAFRA will be identifying areas of cooperation toward achieving a transition to carbon neutrality in agriculture and developing sustainable farming and food systems.

Another major focus of attention is whether the “Seoul Declaration” to be adopted on Monday will include bigger climate change response goals. The Seoul Declaration is expected to include references to international efforts to overcome the climate change crisis, practical steps to implement the Paris Agreement and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and communication with civil society, businesses and future generations.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during the Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22, which he attended virtually from the Blue House. (Yonhap News)

After Moon failed to share an increased nationally determined contribution target for greenhouse gas emissions at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate last month, pressure has been growing for him to share a stronger response plan at the P4G Summit.

A Joint Statement following the South Korea-US Summit on Friday made reference to “the Republic of Korea’s plan to release early in October its provisional enhanced 2030 target and by COP 26 its final enhanced 2030 target, aligned with efforts to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius and with the global goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050.”

In terms of reduction targets, South Korea is currently adhering to the aim of “24.4 percent reduction from 2017 levels by 2030,” which was set during the Park Geun-hye administration.

By Kim Min-je, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]