‘Carbon-free coalition’ including nuclear power plants, Korea joins ‘triple renewable energy’ at COP28

The Korean government has decided to participate in international resolutions (initiatives) such as tripling renewable energy being discussed at the 28th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP28). At the summit of the Conference of the Parties being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 1st (local time), the government agreed to five international resolutions, including △renewable energy and energy efficiency, △mutual recognition of hydrogen certification systems, △agriculture and food, △health, and △multilevel cooperation. He announced that he had decided to participate. Among these, the ‘Resolution to 3-fold Renewable Energy Expansion’ calls for increasing global renewable energy facility capacity to 11 billion watts (W) by 2030, three times the current level, and improving energy efficiency by 4% each year, said Ahmad Zabi, chairman of the Conference of the Parties. Le has been leading the discussion, including sending a urging letter to participating countries in March. Previously, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on November 15, the United States and China attracted attention by announcing that they would participate, and it is known that more than 100 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan, have participated so far. On the other hand, the Korean government plans to expand the ‘carbon-free (CF) coalition’ including nuclear power generation, and did not announce until the opening of the general meeting whether it would join the resolution to triple renewable energy. In a press release jointly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Environment, and Trade, Industry and Energy, the government said, “The above initiative is a voluntary and non-binding plan and declaration led by the COP28 chair country,” and “It gathers the will of the parties and stakeholders to take climate action, resulting in Paris.” “It will greatly contribute to achieving the goals of the agreement,” he said. In Korea, the proportion of solar and wind power generation is 4.7% (2021), which is far lower than the world average of 28.1%. Among the 20 major countries (G20), it is the second lowest after Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, the Yoon Seok-yeol government lowered the 2030 renewable energy target from 30.2% to 21.6% in the 10th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand confirmed in January this year, and pressure to expand is expected to increase with participation in the resolution at this general meeting. Jin-seon Lee, head of the electricity market system team at Climate Solutions, a climate and environmental group, said, “This declaration to triple global renewable energy by 2030 is a symbolic event that shows the direction of global energy policy, and advanced countries such as Korea are committed to reducing greenhouse gases. “As it is a big responsibility, we need to increase the proportion of renewable energy much more quickly,” he said. “This should be reflected in the 11th basic plan for electricity supply and demand that will be created soon.” Meanwhile, the Korean government also announced that it would participate in the ‘Climate Club’, which announced its official launch today with the participation of 36 countries, including the G7 and developing countries. The Climate Club is a collaboration between developed and developing countries to decarbonize the industrial sector, which accounts for a quarter of total carbon emissions. Seven major countries, including the European Union, Korea, Chile, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, and Morocco, participated. It was first proposed by Germany at the summit of seven major countries in January last year with the intention of strengthening cooperation in areas such as promoting related technology development, mutual recognition, and forming international standards between developed and developing countries. Korea announced its intention to participate at the summit of seven major countries in May this year. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended the launch ceremony. Reporter Park Ki-yong xeno@hani.co.kr