S Korea promises a “bold” climate policy after allegations of any action

South Korea’s climate envoy has made “bold” policy changes from Seoul, as one of Asia’s largest greenhouse gas emitters is under pressure because it has not acted more forcefully to tackle climate change.

President Moon Jae-in in October he committed That South Korea would achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, following similar moves by the EU, Japan and China.

The lunar administration’s claims have sparked criticism from environmentalists that South Korea has failed to present a strong plan to meet its obligations under the Paris climate agreement to cut coal and revitalize renewables.

Yoo Yeon-chul, South Korea’s ambassador for climate change, said Seoul bureaucrats are making a “hard effort” to find “ways and means” to achieve the goal.

“Eventually we will take bold measures,” he told the Financial Times.

Jeehye Park, director of the coal program for Solutions for Our Climate, a Seoul-based NGO, said coal-fired power plants were still being built In South Korea, that is, the use of fossil fuels will not disappear until 2054.

Coal accounts for about 40% of South Korea’s electricity generation, and a quarter of national emissions.

The elimination of coal-fired energy by the end of the decade would lead to a manufacturing economy complying with the Paris climate agreement and 18,000 fewer people would die early from air pollution-related diseases, according to international research group Climate Analytics.

“As the dark future of coal is already predicted, moving forward with physically harmful projects, removing people’s health, and expected lifestyles seems ethically wrong,” Park said.

South Korea will host its first major multilateral climate conference this month, the P4G summit. Before the event, Al Gore, A former U.S. vice president and leader of the climate campaign, wrote to Moon, urging him to act faster.

According to South Korea’s climate plan, which was updated last December, the country will reduce emissions by 24.4% from 2017 levels by 2030. But Gore has emphasized research to reduce the restrictions at least 50 percent they were necessary for South Korea to comply with the 1.5C global target of the Paris agreement.

The countries that signed the Paris agreement pledged to limit global warming to 2Cs “well below”, and we expect around 1.5C compared to previous levels of industry at the end of the century.

“The economic risks of inaction are also accelerating,” Gore warned, noting “especially for economies focused on trade like South Korea that are hoping for carbon limit adjustments.”

Yoo, who has been involved in South Korean climate policy and negotiations since the early 1990s, has acknowledged Seoul’s three decades environmental policies eventually greenhouse gas emissions have increased.

He said an improved climate plan is being developed and will “probably” be announced at COP26 global climate conference It will be held in Glasgow in November.

Yoo stressed that South Korea is committed to a “step-by-step” approach, increasing financial and technical support and capacity to help companies in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. change to a cleaner economy.

He also pointed to the government record stimulus package energy efficiency, renewables and hydrogen technology-focused funds to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and Moon’s decision last month completed state bank financing for foreign coal projects.

South Korea was the eighth largest carbon emitter last year, followed by Asia, China, India and Japan, the fourth, according to the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists.

“From now on the story will be different,” Yoo said.

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