Carbon neutral – South Korea
Korea will become the 14th country in the world to legislate a carbon neutrality act, if it is so enacted by the National Assembly, and lay the foundations for future measures, South Korea’s Environment Minister Han Jeoung-ae under President Moon Jae-in said last week.
“The carbon neutrality act will serve as a basis for putting carbon neutrality at the center in regards to planning the national budget and coming up with new policies,” Han told reporters.
Last week, the National Assembly‘s Environment and Labor Committee endorsed the carbon neutrality bill that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 35 percent or more from 2018 levels.
The 2030 reduction goal is internationally dubbed as the nationally determined contribution, or NDC, which indicates each country’s efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The bill is expected to be enacted during Wednesday’s plenary session without much trouble, as it is backed by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, which currently holds more than half of the 300 seats in the National Assembly.
The Environment Ministry said the carbon neutrality act shows the National Assembly’s will to start social discussions with the aimed reduction at the minimum level of 35 percent.