'Greenhouse Gas Reduction by Over 35%' Passed Solely by the Ruling Party's Environment and Labor Committee

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee passed the "Basic Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Climate Crisis Response (Climate Crisis Response Act)" early on the 19th, raising the 2030 national greenhouse gas reduction target (NDC) to "35% or more" through a ruling party solo vote.

The Environment and Labor Committee handled the bill after the Carbon Neutrality Basic Act draft was reviewed and approved by the agenda coordination committee the previous day, and then passed it at the plenary meeting held past midnight. Until now, the ruling and opposition parties had clashed over setting the NDC target figure. The government and ruling party took the position of flexibly reducing it to "30% or more" considering the burden on the industry and feasibility. The People Power Party argued that a specific target should be legislated. The Justice Party advocated specifying the NDC figure as "50% or more."

The previous afternoon, before the subcommittee started, the two parties' floor leaders, policy committee chairs, and senior deputy floor leaders met to attempt a 3-to-3 negotiation but failed. Later, at 9:40 p.m., the committee chair, Democratic Party lawmaker Song Ok-joo, called for a meeting of the agenda coordination committee. Notably, the Justice Party was excluded from the coordination committee members representing minor parties, and independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang, formerly of the Democratic Party, was included, leading to a unilateral forced passage.

If the Carbon Neutrality Basic Act passed by the Environment and Labor Committee passes the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the plenary session, the government must establish and implement a plan to achieve the 2030 NDC of 35% or more. The bill specifies not only the 2030 NDC but also carbon neutrality by 2050. It also lays the foundation for establishing the Carbon Neutrality Committee and the Climate Response Fund.

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