Government: "Survival Impossible Without 'Carbon Neutrality' Efforts"... Seeking Countermeasures with Industry

Ministry of Industry to Hold '2020 Climate Change Response Conference' Over Two Days on 2nd and 3rd

President Moon Jae-in presiding over the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Inter-Ministerial Strategy Meeting at the Blue House on the 27th of last month. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] "The low-carbon economy has already become the new global economic order. Without efforts toward carbon neutrality, the survival of nations, industries, and companies is difficult."

Park Jin-gyu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said this at the '2020 Climate Change Response Conference.' The conference is held via video conference on the 2nd and 3rd at the Grand Intercontinental Parnas Hotel.

Hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by the Korea Energy Agency, the conference marks its 15th year this year. The theme this year is "Low-Carbon Economic System, Paradigm Shift." About 500 participants including government officials, industry, academia, research, and civil society climate change stakeholders attend.

Vice Minister Park stated, "Along with major countries such as the European Union (EU), China, and Japan, Korea declared its carbon neutrality goal last October, making the low-carbon economy already a new global economic order," and added, "Without efforts toward carbon neutrality, the survival of nations, industries, and companies has become difficult."

He continued, "The government will actively promote the expansion of renewable energy, the establishment of a distributed energy system, and the fostering of new energy industries, and will strongly support bold technological innovation for the environmentally friendly transformation of key industries and the development of low-carbon new industries."

Keynote speakers at the conference included Ian Dunlop, Vice Chairman of the Australian Peak Oil and Gas Research Association; Jason Schenker, Chairman of the Futurist Institute; and Marc Vanheukelen, EU Climate Change Ambassador.

Domestic expert panelists included Cho Yong-sung, President of the Korea Energy Economics Institute; Jang Yoon-jong, President of POSCO Research Institute; Lee Dong-geun, President of Hyundai Research Institute; Min Dong-jun, Professor at Yonsei University; Lee Myung-joo, Professor at Myongji University; and Lim Dae-woong, Korean Representative of the UNEP Finance Initiative.

Vice Chairman Dunlop emphasized that comprehensive efforts are needed to reform the structure of all sectors of society and economy, including energy and industry, to respond to the climate crisis.

He said, "Countries that have successfully dealt with COVID-19 prioritize COVID response over politics and economy by utilizing all possible scientific means," and stressed, "Climate change is a greater threat than COVID-19 and needs to be approached similarly to COVID response."

Chairman Schenker introduced changes in energy consumption structure during the COVID era, such as the increase in corporate telecommuting.

He said, "Political will and investment to optimize resource use are important to respond to climate change," adding, "Corporate strategies for climate change response such as expanding renewable energy, building microgrids, resource circulation, and expanding electric and hydrogen vehicles are necessary."

Ambassador Vanheukelen introduced the European Green Deal and Europe’s climate change response policies. In the panel discussion, he expressed welcome for Korea’s New Deal policy and carbon neutrality declaration and expressed willingness for global cooperation on climate change.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, discussions and sharing will cover ▲ utilization of carbon markets and climate finance to lead sustainable economic systems ▲ use and prospects of climate technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) for low-carbon industrial transition ▲ and excellent domestic industrial carbon reduction cases.

The conference is broadcast live through an online real-time video conferencing system. After the event, recorded videos will be uploaded on the '2020 Climate Change Response Conference' website and YouTube.

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