'Meeting with The Climate CEO' Kim Dong-yeon: "Government Climate Policy is Lagging... Gyeonggi-do Will Lead"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (left) warmly shakes hands with Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, at the Roh Moo-hyun Citizens' Center in Seoul on the 4th.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, to explain Gyeonggi Province's commitment to overcoming the climate crisis and achieving carbon neutrality, and proposed international cooperation. Furthermore, he expressed his intention to join the Under2 Coalition, a global alliance of local governments' climate change policy organizations for which The Climate Group serves as the secretariat.

On the 4th, Governor Kim met with Helen Clarkson at the Roh Moo-hyun Citizen Center in Seoul and said, "Gyeonggi Province is taking the most proactive measures regarding climate change issues. Currently, the South Korean government is implementing policies that lag behind on climate change, but we strongly oppose this and intend to play a role as a local government." He emphasized, "If you provide good opinions and suggestions on what local governments should do, we will learn well."

He added, "I believe it is important to inform the public about the Under2 Coalition and international cooperation relationships and to put them into practice to show changes in people's lives. I see the roles of local governments as twofold: international cooperation and implementation. We are preparing to join the Under2 Coalition. We want to show the changes through this to the residents of the province."

In response, Helen Clarkson introduced The Climate Group’s main projects, saying, "We are focusing on carbon reduction in industry, transportation, and power energy sectors. We are launching a new Steel Zero campaign, which declares that by 2050, all steel consumed will be low-carbon steel." She added, "In addition, we serve as the secretariat for the Under2 Coalition, which includes 170 local governments worldwide working on climate policy changes."

She also responded, "Thank you for showing interest in joining the Under2 Coalition. Among the companies participating in our RE100 campaign, there are certainly many that are very active in Gyeonggi Province. It would be good to identify any obstacles to achieving their goals together and see if there are areas that can be addressed at the provincial level."

On this day, Governor Kim emphasized that Gyeonggi Province is the center of South Korea's RE100 and that the province's role is important. He promised to strengthen global RE100 implementation cooperation with The Climate Group for sustainable energy policies.

The Climate Group is an international non-profit organization (climate change organization) established in London, UK, in 2003, encouraging global climate action with the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions worldwide by 2050. It hosts the annual Climate Week NYC event and serves as the secretariat for the Under2 Coalition, a network of local governments for climate action.

Going forward, Gyeonggi Province plans to share its efforts and achievements in renewable energy transition with the world through The Climate Group and expand policy exchanges with local governments.

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