Human Rights Commission: "Vulnerable Groups Must Be Protected in Building Greenhouse Gas Reduction"

"Energy Policies Must Not Increase Burdens on Tenants"

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has recommended that the government review greenhouse gas reduction policies for the building sector to achieve the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, and strengthen safeguards to protect the housing rights of vulnerable groups during this process.

National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Jung-gu, Seoul. Yonhap News Agency

On May 14, the Commission announced that it had recommended the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the National Climate Crisis Response Committee to prepare measures including improvements in building energy performance and a transition to low-carbon policies. The Commission emphasized that greenhouse gas reduction and the guarantee of housing rights must proceed simultaneously, presenting as key tasks: disclosure of building energy performance and the establishment of minimum standards, development of a post-management system, and diversification of support systems for performance improvement.

Specifically, the Commission recommended expanding the public disclosure of building energy performance information and introducing minimum performance standards, so that green remodeling (environmentally friendly renovation projects) can be implemented for buildings that do not meet the standards. It also stated that a post-management system should be established to regularly check the actual effectiveness of energy savings.

Furthermore, the Commission stressed the need to establish institutional measures to protect tenants’ housing rights during the construction of Zero-Energy Buildings (ZEBs) or the implementation of green remodeling projects. It also pointed out that policies should be revised to gradually reduce support for high-carbon fuels within the energy voucher scheme and to expand the distribution of heat pumps and similar technologies.

A representative from the Commission stated, "The building sector accounts for about 25% of domestic greenhouse gas emissions," and added, "Measures must be taken to ensure that vulnerable groups are not exposed to increased costs or the risk of eviction during the process of improving the performance of aging housing."

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