Gyeonggi-do Joins the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PCA)

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (center) is taking a commemorative photo after the declaration ceremony for joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance with Michael Danaher, Canadian Ambassador, and Simon Smith, British Ambassador, at the Situation Room on the 2nd floor of the new Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building on the 1st.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has joined the "Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA)," which has a total of 105 member organizations, including 33 countries and 29 local governments worldwide. This will give momentum to the province's ongoing low-carbon energy transition Green New Deal projects.

On the 1st, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung met with Michael Danagher, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, and Simon Smith, British Ambassador to Korea, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Situation Room. They declared the province's membership in the Powering Past Coal Alliance and exchanged views on mutual exchange and cooperation in the fields of coal phase-out and energy transition.

The Powering Past Coal Alliance was founded in 2017 at the 23rd United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP23), led by the United Kingdom and Canada.

The goal is to phase out coal-fired power generation, which causes climate change and air pollution, by 2030 for OECD and European Union (EU) member countries, and by 2050 for other countries.

This meeting followed Gyeonggi Province's acceptance of the request to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance from the Canadian Embassy in Korea. The Canadian and British ambassadors, representing leading coal phase-out countries, visited the province to congratulate its membership.

In his greeting, Governor Lee said, "Preparing for climate change is a crucial task for all humanity. For the happiness of humankind, I believe we must drastically reduce our dependence on coal energy and eventually break away from it. Not only central and local governments but also companies will find it difficult to maintain international competitiveness without transitioning to eco-friendly energy. We will work together to make the Earth a more environmentally friendly place."

Michael Danagher, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, said, "There can be no borders when it comes to climate. If we do not respond transnationally in solidarity, we will inevitably face many economic and environmental difficulties. I congratulate Gyeonggi Province on becoming a member of the Powering Past Coal Alliance family alongside Canada and the UK, and I urge Gyeonggi to show leadership in responding to the climate crisis."

Simon Smith, British Ambassador to Korea, said, "I am pleased that a place like Gyeonggi Province, with many residents and abundant economic power, has become a member. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will be held in Glasgow, UK, next November. I ask Gyeonggi Province to join us in helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuels."

Following this membership in the Powering Past Coal Alliance, the province will implement measures including ▲ the phased closure of coal-fired power plants and promotion of eco-friendly energy transition by 2050, efforts to ban new coal power plant construction ▲ commercialization of hydrogen energy, fostering next-generation core energy technologies, and building low-carbon cities based on renewable energy ▲ establishing a low-carbon energy society through power self-sufficiency projects involving residents, energy cooperative ecosystems, and energy self-reliant villages ▲ building domestic and international governance foundations leading coal power restrictions and clean energy transition ▲ actively encouraging participation from non-aligned countries and local governments.

With this coal phase-out declaration, the province plans to actively pursue its low-carbon energy transition Green New Deal projects to achieve the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target. According to the 2030 Gyeonggi Province Greenhouse Gas Reduction Roadmap, the province aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 53.2 million tons by 2030. This corresponds to a 19.3% reduction compared to the 65.9 million tons emitted in 2015.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.