Increased Proportion of Female and Youth Members
NDC Government Proposal Being Prepared by Inter-Ministerial Consultative Body
On the 24th, the 2nd inauguration ceremony and plenary meeting of the Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Committee are being held. February 24, 2025. Provided by the Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Committee.
The Presidential Committee on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth 2050 (CNGG), directly under the President, announced on the 24th that it held the inauguration ceremony and plenary meeting of the 2nd CNGG at the Government Seoul Office, chaired by Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok. Following the activities of the 1st committee from October 2022 under the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth, the 2nd committee was newly formed from February and officially launched on this day.
The CNGG explained that the 2nd committee has enhanced expertise by recruiting experts in future new technologies such as Carbon-Free Energy (CFE), hydrogen, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). At the same time, it strengthened representation by increasing the proportion of female and youth members and appointing new members representing diverse sectors such as labor (2 members) and farmers.
The female ratio in the 2nd CNGG rose significantly to 39% compared to 21% in the 1st committee, and the youth ratio expanded from 3% to 8%. From the labor sector, Ryu Ki-seop, Secretary-General of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Song Si-young, Chairperson of the Correct Labor Union at Seoul Metro, participate. From the business sector, Park Il-jun, Executive Vice President of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, attends. Representing the farming sector, Park Kyung-sik, Director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, serves as a member.
Acting President Choi stated in his opening remarks, "The government will work with the CNGG with extraordinary determination to realize a carbon-neutral society." He added, "While securing energy security through the expansion of renewable energy and nuclear power as part of CFE, we will also strengthen carbon competitiveness, establish long-term goals and strategies for greenhouse gas reduction, and expand investments in climate technology development."
On this day, the government reported on the 'Core Tasks of the 2nd CNGG,' 'Progress and Plans for Establishing the 2035 National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target,' and 'Plans for Establishing National Climate Crisis Adaptation Measures.'
The 2nd CNGG plans to present a national mid- to long-term vision through ▲formulating a long-term (2031?2049) vision for greenhouse gas reduction ▲establishing the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ▲developing climate crisis adaptation strategies. Alongside this, it will select and promote key policy tasks for continuous innovation and visible achievements, including carbon neutrality through science and technology, accelerating energy transition, revitalizing the climate tech industry, strengthening green finance support, and responding to global regulations.
The government stated that from March last year to January this year, a technical working group composed of experts recommended by related ministries conducted over 100 discussions to derive reduction scenarios. Based on these, the government is currently preparing the '2035 NDC Government Proposal' through an inter-ministerial consultative body starting this month.
Once the government proposal is prepared, it will undergo a process of gathering opinions from stakeholders across industry, civil society, labor, and future generations, as well as social public discussions. The final proposal will be confirmed through CNGG deliberation and submitted to the United Nations (UN) by September.
According to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, all parties must submit their NDCs every five years. South Korea submitted its enhanced '2030 NDC' in December 2021, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 2018 levels by 2030.
This year, the government plans to establish the '4th National Climate Crisis Adaptation Measures (2026?2030)' jointly with related ministries. The Ministry of Environment, which oversees adaptation measures, will present new tasks based on expert and public feedback to related ministries. Each ministry will also identify and propose relevant tasks to concretize the new tasks of the 4th plan. Furthermore, through governance forums and other means, tasks will be continuously supplemented and discovered, with final confirmation planned within the year through CNGG plenary deliberation.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
