ED Action on climate crisis

Far-reaching transitions of systems are necessary

By Jang Daul

“Nothing changes unless we do something.” This quote from a Korean TV series on Netflix, “D.P.,” reminds of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission estimates for 2022 from the Ministry of Environment on July 25.

The ministry said that last year's emission was 654.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq), decreased by 3.5 percent compared to 2021 and at the lowest level since 2010. It seems that we can hope to tackle the climate crisis. However, it's far too early to hope.

First, the current national emissions reduction target itself is too weak to prevent irreversible climate disaster. Based on the best available scientific understanding, the international community agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius.

Nonetheless, according to a global independent think tank, Climate Action Tracker, even if all the countries in the world meet their submitted 2030 targets it will lead us to 2.4 degrees warming. Furthermore, if we consider the current policies around the world we are on a pathway to 2.7 degrees warming.

Therefore, as one of the major emitters, Korea needs to reduce its emissions at least more than 7 percent every year and cut our emissions in half by 2030. If we want to avoid serious consequences of climate change, we must do our fair share in the global efforts.

Second, even the 3.5 percent reduction in 2022 was hardly due to any new governmental policies of the current Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The environment ministry stressed that the pro-nuclear energy policy of the new government, the industrial emissions reduction and the expansion of zero-emission vehicles were the three main causes for the overall reduction.

It is true that nuclear power generation increased in 2022 compared to 2021. It was mainly due to the more operation of a few reactors which didn't operate much in 2021 due to safety issues and the new startup of the Shin Hanul-1. Therefore, more zero-carbon nuclear power contributed to the decreased emission from the power sector.

However, the increased nuclear power was not caused by the change of nuclear policy from Moon to Yoon. The difference of Yoon's policy is to promote a lifetime extension for existing reactors and to build additional new nuclear reactors.

Therefore, Yoon's pro-nuclear policy can only affect emissions by 2025 at the earliest when the lifetime of the Kori-2 reactor could be extended and restarted. Also, the two new reactors could produce electricity at the earliest in 2032 and 2033. So, there was no causal relationship between the change of nuclear policy and the decreased emissions due to increased nuclear power.

The major reduction in the industrial sector is also hardly the outcome of any new governmental industrial policy to regulate emissions or to provide new incentives for reduction. It was due mainly to the decreased production of the steel and petrochemical industries caused by the reduced global market demand.

The decreased GHG emissions in the transportation sector were also hardly due to any new policy of the Yoon administration. In fact, President Yoon didn't keep his election promise yet to ban the new registration of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035 and already broke another election promise to freeze the electric vehicle (EV) charging rates for five years.

In conclusion, the GHG emissions reduction in 2022 compared to 2021 is positive but far from enough to avoid a climate disaster and the Yoon administration made little if any contribution to the reduction.

At least 47 people have lost their lives in the recent torrential rains in our society. Still close to 1,800 evacuees have not returned to their homes. More than 10,000 facilities have been damaged by the heavy rainfall. More than 35,000 hectares of farmland have been flooded and 872,000 livestock died. It was more evidence of the climate crisis.

At the July 18 cabinet meeting President Yoon said, “Due to climate change we experience extreme weather events” and he stressed that “we cannot and should not repeat the same way to deal with the unprecedented extreme weather events.”

However, after the serious awareness of the climate crisis what he suggested was enhancing the digital monitoring system and more collaboration between the national and local governments.

Such solutions might contribute to climate adaptation, but what we also need is to mitigate climate change. That is “far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure and industrial systems“ as the IPCC's Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees suggested.

Unless the government does something new and significantly different, it will not be able to protect the lives and safety of the people in this climate crisis.

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