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(Reference) Minister Han Jeoung Ae of Environment, Having Bilateral Talks with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry

Date:
2021-01-27
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▷ Discussing the need for mutual cooperation in order to implement carbon neutrality in the international community 


□ On the morning of January 26, the Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Jeoung Ae) announced that the Environment Minister and the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry had bilateral talks over the phone in order to discuss cooperation methods between the two countries on climate change responses.


○ This meeting was held at the request of the US immediately after the inauguration of the new Minister Han Joung Ae.


□ Minister Han congratulated the beginning of new US administration and vigorously welcomed that President Joe Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the US into the Paris climate Agreement on his first day as the president (January 20).


○ Also, the minister expressed her expectations that the return of the US to the Paris Agreement will accelerate the international efforts to respond to the climate change and expand the implementation of carbon neutrality.

* The US is scheduled to rejoin on February 19, 30 days after the submission of the application form, following the Article 21-3 of the Paris Agreement


○ The two countries agreed to enhance their cooperation, such as discovering cooperative projects for common development, as there are many similar aspects of the policy directions of them for carbon neutrality in 2050.


□ The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry highly praised that South Korea established carbon neutrality by 2050 as the long term low carbon development strategy at the end of last year.


○ In addition, the two countries shared a consensus to cooperate closely so that they can lead the international climate change issues, including the G7* and G20* summits scheduled to be held this year and the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK in November this year.

* G7: US, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada

※ The UK is the chair of 2021 G7 and invited South Korea, Australia and India to the meeting

** G20: South Korea, US, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, India, China, Republic of South Africa, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Argentina, Australia, EU


○ The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry was born in 1943. He is a leading US politician who served as a US Senator of Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013 and ran for the 2004 US presidential election as a Democratic Party candidate. He was appointed as the US Envoy for Climate on November 23, last year and his term of office began on January 20 this year.


○ The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate serves as the presidential envoy for energy and climate policies under the Office of the President.