[Consumer Climate Action Column] Climate Crisis, Citizens Are at Risk When Policies Retreat

Eunjung Kim, Executive Director of Consumer Climate Action

On December 10, 2020, the Government of the Republic of Korea declared the ‘2050 Carbon Neutrality Vision.’

‘Carbon neutrality’ refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by the use of fossil fuels and other sources, and offsetting or removing the inevitably emitted greenhouse gases through forests, wetlands, and other means so that the net emissions become ‘0.’

Accordingly, changes are occurring in various fields, with a representative example being the transition to a ‘plastic-free’ society.

The Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters is running a series of ‘Consumer Climate Action Columns’ to empathize with and participate in the plastic-free movement.

In October, the 'Climate Transparency Report 2022' evaluating the climate response plans of G20 member countries was released.

This report, published by the global partnership Climate Transparency, assesses the climate crisis response status of G20 countries, which claim to be global leaders. Except for the UK, which received an ‘almost sufficient’ rating, all other countries were evaluated as insufficient.

Ultimately, no country received a passing grade on the climate crisis. The G20 countries account for two-thirds of the world’s population and 85% of the global GDP. They control 75% of international trade, meaning they are responsible for about 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the G20 countries have yet to take actions at an appropriate level, and the report points this out.

Among them, South Korea’s situation is even more dire. According to the report, South Korea’s climate response policies, along with those of eight other countries including China, Brazil, and India, were judged as ‘Not on Track for a 1.5c world’ to prevent a 1.5℃ temperature rise.

From 2014 to 2019, South Korea’s per capita carbon emissions were recorded at 13.2 tons, far exceeding the G20 average of 7.5 tons. It is expected that with the current climate response policies, carbon emissions will remain around 600 million tons in 2030, similar to current levels.

The biggest problem identified is energy policy. While it is urgent to stop coal power generation and switch to renewable energy, the South Korean government lowered its renewable energy transition target from 30.2% to 21.6%.

Not only energy policy but also carbon reduction targets that should be applied across national policies are drifting without progress or even regressing.

During the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, some saw hope that new lifestyles could slow the climate crisis as carbon emissions decreased.

However, contrary to expectations, greenhouse gases have been increasing again since 2021. According to the report, G20’s total greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 4.9% in 2020 compared to the previous year but increased by 5.9% in 2021.

Although the lifestyle changes caused by COVID-19 were not sustainable, they showed the possibility that dramatic changes can be made depending on how we live.

Carbon reduction can be more effective in specific sectors, but a change in the lifestyle of society as a whole is necessary. Carbon neutrality is not achieved by switching energy sources alone.

It is necessary for all members of society to transform their ways of life. It is important to know how much carbon is emitted in one’s daily life and where the energy one uses comes from, and to create change from the fundamentals.

Therefore, more and more citizens are trying to change their lifestyles by separating waste, creating festivals without disposable products, and plogging.

Even if something is already made, they endure inconvenience hoping that resources circulate through reuse or recycling and that waste is minimized.

However, the government is releasing policies that dampen these citizen efforts one after another. Starting with lowering renewable energy targets, postponing plans to expand disposable product regulations, and attempting to delay the implementation of the disposable cup deposit-return system, which was eventually implemented but with a reduced scope due to strong public opposition.

Plans to expand paper carton recycling bins have also been temporarily suspended. Although the relevant ministry should be more proactive about resource circulation of paper cartons as an alternative to plastic problems, the main reasons cited are that preparations are not yet complete, companies are unprepared, related industries may shrink, and citizens lack awareness.

I once asked an activist from FNE (The France Nature Environment Association), a French civic coalition, what preparations were being made to implement the law requiring washing machines to be equipped with microplastic reduction devices starting in 2025.

The answer was that since the law was agreed upon before it was enacted, it will be implemented in 2025. Preparation is the responsibility of companies, and citizens’ role is to monitor whether it is properly observed. Although embarrassing, isn’t this a wise and straightforward answer?

The government should create policies after listening carefully to the opinions of multiple stakeholders, companies should comply with the laws accordingly, and citizens should monitor whether the government and companies are following through. The climate crisis is too close for policies painstakingly created to be delayed, reduced, or halted.

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