ED Be more responsible

The 28th Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP28) held in the UAE unfolded with a consensus to "transition away from fossil fuels." Now, it is time for Korea to show climate accountability.

The full text was “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”

Although the expected fair, fast, funded and full “phase out” was substituted by “transition away,” mainly due to strong opposition by the fossil fuel industry and OPEC countries as well as challenging negotiations involving nearly 200 countries, it is still a meaningful step forward, two years on from COP26 when the parties for the first time agreed to “phase down unabated coal.”

Of course, there are worrying loopholes. Often, the devil is in the details.

The first one is “the phase-down of unabated coal power” in the GST decision text which gives the coal industry a sneaky excuse to get away from phasing out coal by using carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology, which is likely to function as a distraction from the much-needed green transition.

The second loophole is “transitional fuels can play a role in facilitating the energy transition.” The transitional fuel refers to fossil gas. Even though burning gas would emit less carbon than coal, it still emits a lot more carbon than renewables. As the International Energy Agency's (IEA) updated Net Zero Roadmap stressed recently that there is no need for new oil and gas fields due to global clean energy growth in recent years, investing in gas would not be a smart decision.

Due to the weakened expressions and loopholes mentioned above, Alex Randall, a UK-based climate expert, satirized the UNFCCC negotiations related to fossil fuels through a brilliant analogy as follows:

“I am giving up smoking! When I say giving up, I mean ‘phasing out’ smoking. And when I say phasing out, I guess I mean more like ‘phasing down.' Also, when I say phasing down, what I really mean is I will be moving towards phasing down. Also, when I say ‘moving towards’ what I mean is that I’ll be making efforts to move towards it. It’s the effort that counts! But I am accelerating those efforts! Also, I should add it is just unfiltered cigarettes I am phasing down. Filtered cigarettes are still ok. Because they are not bad for you, right? Also, I will do it by 2050.”

I cannot agree with this analogy more. The global climate has been stable for the past 12,000 years which was essential for our civilization. However, the climate is much hotter now because of our use of fossil fuels. We felt something seriously wrong with our climate this year again. If you are experiencing serious health red flags from smoking, what you should do is quit, or in case you're so addicted that you can't quit right away, significantly cut back and quit as soon as possible.

COP28 is a clear signal of the end of the fossil fuel era. Therefore, Korea should improve its climate performance and strengthen its climate and energy policies based on the polluter pays principle, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

Korea is a member of the G20 and the OECD, and therefore categorized as a part of the Global North. The 13th-largest global economy is also the 10th-largest global carbon dioxide emitter. In 2022, the electricity demand of Korea was larger than that of Canada, Germany and France, and ranked seventh in the world. However, Korea ranked the lowest among the OECD in 2022 in terms of the share of renewables in power production.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Korea placed fourth, not from the top but from the bottom among 63 countries, in the latest Climate Change Performance Index by Germanwatch. Under the Yoon administration, the annual addition of renewable capacity was reduced significantly. The government also lowered the 2030 renewable target.

However, at COP28 Korea joined the global pledge to triple renewable energy capacity and double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency. In fact, President Yoon Suk Yeol already endorsed the same pledge at the G20 leaders meeting in India in September this year. It is now time to show accountability for his pledge and Korea’s commitment.

The world will be watching closely to see how the 11th Basic Plan on Electricity Supply and Demand (BPE), currently being written by the Yoon administration, will reflect Korea's commitment to increase renewables and reduce fossil fuels in accordance with the latest climate science.

Jang Daul (daul.jang@greenpeace.org) is a government relations and advocacy specialist at Greenpeace East Asia Seoul office.