Government to Hear Public Opinion Just Before Finalizing '2050 Low Carbon Strategy' Plan... Public Hearing on the 19th

Ministry of Environment-National Assembly Climate Change Forum Held
Reviewed by Green Growth Committee and Cabinet Meeting
Scheduled for UN Submission Within This Year
Transition Sectors: Power, Industry, Buildings, Transport, Society
Clean Electricity and Hydrogen Supply, Energy Efficiency Improvement, etc.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] A public hearing discussing the long-term low-carbon development strategy for the next 30 years will be held. This is to gather public opinions just before the government plan is finalized.

On the 18th, the Ministry of Environment announced that it will hold a public hearing on the '2050 Long-term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (Draft)' on the 19th at 10 a.m. in the main conference room of the National Assembly Members' Office Building, together with the National Assembly Climate Change Forum.

The event will begin with an opening address by Han Jeong-ae, co-chair of the National Assembly Climate Change Forum and member of the National Assembly, followed by a welcome speech by Ahn Ho-young, a member of the National Assembly, remarks by Kim Sang-hee, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and congratulatory remarks by Cho Myung-rae, Minister of Environment. Then, Ahn Se-chang, Director of Climate Change Policy at the Ministry of Environment, will present the main contents and future tasks of the strategy (draft).

Following this, Kim Il-jung, advisor to Environmental Justice, will serve as the chairperson for a discussion titled "Challenges and Tasks for a Carbon Neutral Society by 2050," where representatives from experts, civil society, future generations, and religious communities will share diverse opinions.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the public hearing will be broadcast live online via the Ministry of Environment's YouTube channel.

To prepare the strategy (draft), the 'Low-Carbon Society Vision Forum' (composed of 69 members from academia, industry, civil society, and youth) held about 60 discussions over approximately nine months starting from March last year. As a result, a review draft was submitted to the government in February.

From March, a pan-government consultative body involving 15 ministries including the Ministry of Environment, Office for Government Policy Coordination, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy conducted expert, industry, and civil society meetings, opinion polls, and public debates.

This public hearing is being held to collect public opinions before finalizing the government plan for the '2050 Long-term Low-Carbon Development Strategy,' which was prepared through these social discussions.

At the hearing, under the goal of "advancing toward carbon neutrality by 2050," discussions will cover ▲expanding the use of cleanly produced electricity and hydrogen across all sectors ▲innovative energy efficiency improvements linked with digital technology ▲promotion of development and commercialization of decarbonized future technologies ▲promotion of sustainable industrial innovation through a circular economy ▲strengthening the carbon absorption functions of nature and ecology such as forests, tidal flats, and wetlands.

Key strategies by sector include, for the power sector, ▲establishing a power supply system centered on clean energy ▲actively utilizing new energy sources such as green hydrogen ▲complementing unavoidable carbon emissions with carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology.

For the industrial sector, the focus is on ▲developing and commercializing future new technologies ▲smart greening of factories and industrial complexes ▲developing low-carbon products ▲realizing a circular economy structure.

The core strategies for the building sector are ▲improving building energy efficiency ▲optimizing energy use through the spread of high-efficiency devices and building energy management systems.

For the transportation sector, the key points are ▲restructuring the transport system centered on eco-friendly future vehicles ▲expanding the use of low-carbon fuels ▲transitioning to a low-carbon logistics system ▲optimizing traffic operation systems.

The social transition sector includes ▲raising public awareness ▲establishing a foundation for a fair transition ▲promoting carbon neutrality led by local communities ▲creating a foundation for activating green finance.

The plan also includes the 2050 long-term low-carbon development strategy and the submission of the 2030 national greenhouse gas reduction target, among other future plans.

The Ministry of Environment plans to review and reflect various opinions presented at this public hearing, consult with related agencies, and prepare the final version of the '2050 Long-term Low-Carbon Development Strategy.'

Afterward, it will be submitted to the United Nations (UN) within this year following deliberation by the Green Growth Committee and approval by the Cabinet meeting.

Director Ahn said, "This 2050 Long-term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (Draft) was prepared through a broad social discussion process involving various stakeholders since last year," adding, "We plan to actively reflect the public opinions proposed at the public hearing to finalize the development strategy to realize a carbon-neutral society by 2050."

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