National Human Rights Commission Chair Urges Government to Raise 2035 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target

Ahn Changho, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, urged the government to immediately raise its proposed 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target for greenhouse gas reduction.

Yonhap News Agency

In a statement released on November 10, Chairperson Ahn said, "The government has announced the 2035 NDC, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 60 percent, or 53 to 60 percent, compared to 2018 levels."

Chairperson Ahn pointed out, "Given that the lower bound is also included as a criterion for achieving the target, this falls significantly short of the 'international standard for limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius' that our commission recommended in June."

He further stated, "The most urgent responsibility of the government in protecting the human rights of its citizens is to boldly and swiftly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main cause of the climate crisis. Last July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made it clear in its advisory opinion that all countries have a legal obligation under international law to limit the rise in global average temperature to within 1.5 degrees Celsius."

He concluded, "The National Human Rights Commission of Korea urges the government to raise the 2035 NDC to the maximum extent possible to meet the reduction levels suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other international bodies, thereby fulfilling its constitutional duty to protect the people, its responsibilities under international law, and its leadership role in global greenhouse gas reduction efforts."

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