South Korea set a new target on Monday to fight climate change over the next decade, saying it aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2018 levels by 2030.
The country faced criticism that its initial plan for a 26.3% cut was too modest. Promising stronger contributions to curbing global warming ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Scotland next month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the new target represents the “most enthusiastic” objective the country can achieve under the current circumstances. could possibly determine.
South Korea aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.
“Compared to advanced economies, which already reached peak emissions in the 1990s or 2000s and are giving their emissions longer periods to reduce, we have to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions at a much faster pace.” Because we just reached peak emissions in 2018. So the new target is a very challenging target,” Moon said at a presidential committee meeting on climate goals.
The committee’s plan, which is to be formalized at a cabinet meeting next week and presented at the UN COP26 summit in Glasgow, aims to cut emissions from electricity generation in 2030 and below 2018 levels by reducing the country’s dependence. Including reducing 44.4%. Expansion of coal-fired plants and renewable energy sources. The country is also seeking to reduce industrial use of fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.
While attending a virtual climate summit convened by US President Joe Biden in April, Moon promised to provide more ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions.
Moon also said then that the country would no longer finance the construction of coal power plants in other countries, although his pledge did mention South Korea’s participation in ongoing projects to build two new coal plants in Indonesia and another in Vietnam. not affected.
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