hankyoreh

South Korean President Moon Jae-in addresses the National Assembly on Oct. 28. (Yonhap News)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in declared plans to achieve “carbon neutrality by 2050” in an administrative policy speech before the National Assembly on Oct. 28 for the submission of the 2021 budget plan. Carbon neutrality refers to a situation of zero net emissions as the amount of greenhouse gases emitted is fully offset by the amount removed. His remarks drew a standing ovation in the National Assembly main session, mainly from ruling Democratic Party lawmakers. Last month, 252 lawmakers from the Democratic Party, People Power Party, and Justice Party passed a non-partisan “resolution for the declaration of a climate crisis emergency,” which included plans for carbon neutrality by 2050.

In addition to the National Assembly, the South Korean government has also clearly stated its objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adopting the same attitude toward responding to the climate crisis issue as around 70 other countries around the world that have made the same declaration to date.

In his speech on Oct. 28, Moon said, “While the administration has strongly pursued energy transition policies to date, there are still many areas where it falls short.” He went on to reaffirm the approach of achieving an energy transition through a shift away from coal and expansion of renewable energy sources, announcing plans to “create new markets, industries, and jobs through the substitution of coal power with renewable energy.”

Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg during her interview with the Hankyoreh on Oct. 16. (Park Jong-shik, staff photographer)

He further announced the investment of 8 trillion won (US$7.07 billion) in the Green New Deal program, while requesting the National Assembly’s cooperation in areas including the replacement of aging structures and public rental housing with eco-friendly facilities, a “green transition” for urban spaces and residential infrastructure, expanded supplies of 116,000 electric and hydrogen vehicles, the building of electric and hydrogen vehicle charging stations and rapid charging equipment, the building of low-carbon green industrial complexes, and the expansion of financial support for local renewable energy projects.

In July, the administration announced energy transition plans including the expanded use of electric and hydrogen vehicles and renewable energy sources as part of its “Green New Deal” policy, a core part of the “Korean New Deal” program to respond to the climate crisis and drive economic growth. But its plans were criticized by environmental groups as a “superficial Green New Deal” due to their failure to clearly state a shift away from the use of coal for power generation.

Environmental groups unanimously welcomed Moon’s carbon neutrality declaration on Oct. 29, but also called for a concrete plan for implementation. Over 70 countries around the world are taking part in a global alliance pursuing carbon neutrality, but only 17 countries to date have submitted concrete plans for greenhouse gas reductions. Only eight countries, territories, and groups have submitted plans for carbon neutrality: the European Union, the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Portugal, Costa Rica, Slovakia, South Africa, and Finland.

Moon’s declaration of “carbon neutrality by 2050” may also be seen as his response to an appeal made in a recent interview with the Hankyoreh by 17-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who asked him to take action on the climate crisis issue.

“If [President Moon] says that he admires what I do, then he’d better prove it. Because actions speak much louder than words,” she said in the interview.

By Choi Woo-ri, staff reporter

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