National Assembly's Climate Crisis Special Committee Passes Carbon Neutrality Act Setting 2035 Carbon Reduction Goal at 53% to 61%

▲ National Assembly Special Committee on Climate Crisis

The National Assembly's Special Committee on Climate Crisis held a plenary meeting today (August 13) and passed the amendment to the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Coping with Climate Crisis (Carbon Neutrality Act), which specifies mid-to-long-term national greenhouse gas reduction targets (NDCs) up to 2045.

The bill's core content establishes the upper and lower limits of mid-to-long-term reduction targets for the period between 2031 and 2049 in five-year increments.

The lower limit of the target range proposed in the amendment corresponds to the so-called "linear reduction pathway," which reduces greenhouse gas emissions at the same rate every year.

Specifically, the amendment stipulates that mid-to-long-term reduction targets will be determined by presidential decree within the ranges of 53% to 61% by 2035, 69% to 80% by 2040, and 84% to 90% by 2045, based on 2018 emission levels.

At the same time, it mandates that regulations such as the emissions trading system be designed by applying the lower limit.

The bill also includes provisions for the government to support research and development (R&D), facility investment, and commercialization of greenhouse gas reduction technologies to help the industrial sector smoothly implement reduction targets.

It mandates the establishment of a climate science committee consisting of 15 to 20 members under the National Climate Crisis Response Commission to provide advice on climate crisis response based on scientific capabilities.

Lawmakers Seo Wang-jin of the Rebuilding Korea Party and Jeong Hye-kyung of the Progressive Party cast dissenting votes, arguing that the linear reduction of greenhouse gases fails to reflect the Constitutional Court's decision of non-conformity to the Constitution and the results of public deliberation, while Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee So-young and People Power Party lawmaker Cho Ji-yeon abstained.

Meanwhile, the Act on Climate Crisis Adaptation and Strengthening Resilience—which requires the government to establish a climate crisis adaptation information management system and support vulnerable groups and regions affected by the climate crisis—also passed the plenary meeting today.

The activity period of the Climate Crisis Special Committee runs until the end of this month.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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