Climate Policy in Republic of Korea (ROK)

2004-005
Discussion Paper
Climate Policy in Republic of Korea (ROK)

Although the Kyoto Protocol enters into force, the Republic of Korea (ROK) doesn't have any quantitative green house gas (GHG) reduction target as its commitment because of its status as a Non-Annex I party. However, the negotiation to formulate the new commitment for next round will start in COP-11 at the end of 2005. Apparently, the main agenda for the negotiation will set a new target for GHG reduction and re-organize responsible members for achieving the goal. Under such conditions, the Korean government may have concerns for deciding whether sharing the burden of GHG reduction because of its current GHG emission level, the industry structure and its energy-intensity. The climate change issues have become one of the main interests of the Korean government, and many efforts to address the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and reduce a national GHG emission have been made in this country. However, despite such efforts, it seems not to be successful in showing the increasing trend of GHG emission and lack of public awareness. Hence, this paper will make some proposals to be considered in near future to find appropriate ways to respond to the climate change based on the review of Korea's current situations related to climate change issues.

Remarks:

IGES-CP Working Paper 2004

Author:
Oh, Seung-Hwan
Date: