President Moon: "Carbon neutrality must not be passed on to the next government... The key is technology"

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Inter-Ministerial Strategy Meeting at the Blue House on the 27th. 2020.11.27 Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in emphasized practical implementation regarding the '2050 Carbon Neutrality' declaration on the 27th, stating, "We must not pass this on to the next administration," and urged, "Please establish a concrete execution plan starting from our government, complete the roadmap, and approach this with a sense of responsibility."

Kang Min-seok, the Blue House spokesperson, conveyed in a written briefing related to the '2050 Carbon Neutrality Inter-Ministerial Strategic Meeting' held at the Blue House that morning, that President Moon said, "Previous governments presented the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets (in 2015), but in reality, they increased coal power generation," making this comparison.

After listening to reports on carbon neutrality promotion plans from each ministry, President Moon raised the question in his closing remarks, "Is 2050 carbon neutrality realistically achievable? Could it be merely a political declaration?" He added, "The fact that such doubts arise shows that 2050 carbon neutrality is a challenging task." Kang spokesperson reported that he urged all government ministries to approach this with extraordinary determination and greater responsibility.

President Moon particularly stated, "The decisive factor is 'technology,'" and said, "The European Union (EU) declared 2050 carbon neutrality based on technological advancement. We must also base it on technological progress for it to be possible." He continued, "Even if we replace all vehicles with eco-friendly cars, if prices cannot be lowered, popularization will be difficult. Even if coal power is reduced and replaced with renewable energy, if the cost of power generation becomes an enormous burden, it is not realistic," adding, "It is important to improve technology through sufficient research and development (R&D) investment."

President Moon reiterated, "If we lead the world with just one or two innovative technologies, we can be at the forefront of achieving the goal," and emphasized, "Technology itself will become a tremendous source of future revenue."

President Moon Jae-in is attending the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Inter-Ministerial Strategy Meeting held at the Blue House on the 27th. From the left, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, President Moon, and Chief Presidential Secretary Noh Young-min. 2020.11.27 [Photo by Yonhap News]

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who attended the meeting, also said, "2050 carbon neutrality is an unavoidable task that must be undertaken for human survival and the future of the Republic of Korea," urging, "Each ministry should create a blueprint for a carbon-neutral society and strive to ensure that no one is left behind." Furthermore, he added, "We must never think of (2050 carbon neutrality) as a distant future matter," and said, "We should consider it an urgent issue, face reality with firmer determination and strategic thinking, and accelerate the development of new technologies."