Minister of Environment, Han Jeoung Ae announced the "Action Plan 2021 to implement the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Strategy of Korea" on the 2nd of March 2021.  

This Action Plan was developed following internal discussions, such as strategic dialogues on carbon neutrality and Green New Deal policies so that it can set out a clear direction on overall policies to realize carbon neutrality by 2050 and the Ministry of Environment (ME) can take the lead in such a process. 

Building the implementation framework for 2050 Carbon Neutrality 

First, a detail scenario for reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be developed in order to guide the direction of the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Strategy till June 2021. 

ME will prepare multiple scenarios for the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Strategy by launching a technological working group, led by government-funded research institutes (the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center of the Ministry of Environment, Head of WG) as well as analyzing the carbon reduction potential. 

After building a permanent communication channel with industries, civil societies, and local communities, reaching consensus, and hosting public debates, ME will further details and actions required. 

※ Consensus among industries, civil societies, and local communities ' public debates ' review and ation on the Carbon Neutrality Committee (to be launched)

Based on chosen actions, ME will also develop strategies to implement key policies of each sector in the "2050 Carbon Neutrality Strategy (7 Dec. 2020)" with the relevant government agencies.  

ME plans to design strategies for 11 tasks among a total of 31 together with the relevant government agencies. Major strategies are described in the following.  

① The "Modal Transformation Strategy for Future Mobility" will outline the "Vision of the Full Transition into Emission-Free Vehicles by 2050" with efforts, including provision and innovation of emission-free vehicles, replacement of internal combustion vehicles with emission-free vehicles, and a significant increase of charging point infrastructure for emission-free vehicles. 

ME will complete its final version of its plans by the second half of this year after commissioning research and launching expert forums in March.  

② The "Innovative Roadmap for a Circular Economy*" is a mid-and long-term phased action plan for a circular economy, which includes how to manage the overall process of resource circulation, make businesses transform eco-friendly and practice a circular economy, and achieve a circular economy in each sector, such as water and energy.

* The circular economy is a concept to transform a linear economic structure of taking, making, and disposing of raw materials into a circular economic structure with less fuel and raw materials after strictly managing demand, recycling, and patterns of living and eating based on better-improved behaviors.

ME will commission research for the phased action plan for a circular economy in the 1st and 2nd quarters, cooperate with stakeholders (governance) for consensus in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and announce its final version in the 4th quarter of this year.

③ The "Nature-Based Solution for Reducing and Adapting to Greenhouse Gas Emissions (NBS)*" is a strategy that aims to respond to climate change issues by taking advantage of nature and ecosystems, including recovering more eco-spaces which are carbon sinks, and maximizing functions of ecosystems, such as climate modification.  

* The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines the Nature-Based Solution (NBS) as "actions to i) protect, ii) sustainably use, iii) manage and iv) restore nature or ecosystems that effectively and adaptively address societal challenges, such as climate change, food and water security, and natural disasters.

ME will prepare the final version of the Roadmap by the end of this year. 

The strategies to implement key policies is a long-term strategy set for 2050, which aims to prospect the future and set a direction. To that end, ME has launched specialized institutions, including the Korea Environment Institute (KEI), and a forum, tentatively named the "Research Forum on Carbon Neutrality."

Moreover, ME will push forward with upgrading the 2030 NDC to a 24.4% reduction from the 2017 target. 

The level set for the target to be enhanced will be set through discussions and dialogues with the relevant bodies, based on the 2050 carbon neutrality scenario and submitted to the UN within the remaining term of the administration. 

Proceeding with carbon neutrality tasks of each sector

ME plans to carry out tasks of each sector, such as energy transition, future mobility, carbon-neutral buildings, transition into a waste-zero circular economy, based on a solid implementation framework with the scenario and the strategies to implement key policies. 

First, renewable energy originating from nature, such as floating solar power, hydrothermal energy, and offshore wind power, will be widely provided. 

To do that, ME will carry out 8 development projects related to floating solar power with a capacity of 8, 147.4MW at five dams, including the Hapcheon Dam, and launch pilot projects for developing hydrothermal energy utilizing raw water at 8 locations.  

※ The former development projects aim to generate 2.1GW at five dams, including Hapcheon, Gunwi, Chungju, Soyang River, and Imha, by 2030 and the latter ones aim to supply 1GW of hydrothermal energy by 2040.

The regulations on the overall environmental impact assessment (EIA) process from "site consideration to consultations to monitoring" will be revised in order to facilitate offshore wind power development. 

In this regard, ME launched an exclusive task force, the "Wind Power EIA Task Force" on 22 February 2021 to offer consultancy services on the overall power generation process. 

In addition, ME will provide financial support worth 14.2 billion won for building 68 renewable energy facilities at basic environmental facilities, such as water purification plants, produce more biogas from organic waste, such as food waste, livestock excretions*, and design two places that use biogas to provide hydrogen.  

* ME will revise digesters at 13 places in order to use sewage sludge by 2024, adopt energy facilities to produce bioenergy at more than 20 livestock excrement treatment facilities out of 29, which are currently under construction, and further increase the use of treatment techniques to turn food waste into biogas from 13% in 2019 to 30% in 2025.  

Second, ME will achieve the era of 300K emission-free vehicles, install convenient charging facilities for emission-free vehicles, and set out a long-term modal transformation strategy for 2050 carbon neutrality. 

More specifically, ME will make available 300,000 units of emission-free vehicles this year by upgrading the target of providing low-emission vehicles from 15% in 2020 to 18% in 2021 and forcing the public sector to increase the ratio of emission-free vehicles up to 80%. 

In order for the public to enjoy convenient charging infrastructures, ME will set up more than 180 chargers at hydrogen fueling stations within this year by discovering new sites and setting a special system, which regards hydrogen fueling stations with approval as permitted.

Additionally, ME plans to remove blind spots of electric vehicles (EV) by building 12,000 ultra-fast chargers and 84,000 high-speed chargers at rest stop on expressways and gas stations by 2021.   

Moreover, the "Modal Transformation Strategy for Future Mobility" will be developed in the second half of 2021 and ed after consultations with the relevant agencies. 

Third, ME will take a proactive approach to carbon neutrality in the public sector, such as buildings. 

The public sector will be encouraged to take the lead by announcing its 10-year strategy for carbon neutrality, 2040 Carbon Neutrality.  

To that end, ME will show exemplary cases for each public sector, such as public buildings, facilities, and vehicles, and support their design and installation.   

Furthermore, green technologies, such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), will be first introduced to the public building of Siheung water purification plant and further spread to the private sector facilities. 

Fourth, ME will strengthen the whole waste management process "from reducing production and consumption to expanding recycling to prohibiting direct landfilling," and build a phased Roadmap to shift the nation into becoming a circular economy by 2050. 

For businesses that generate a large quantity of waste, ME will set a new reduction target, which is a ratio of the amount of the generated waste to the output of the products or revenues, and toughen regulations on disposables, like plastic bags, so that the generation of waste can be significantly reduced. 

In addition, ME will prepare for action plans to expand chemical recycling in stages during the first half of 2021, including further production of high-quality materials like clothes separately thrown away, sorted, and recycle PET bottles while turning plastic waste into materials such as pyrolysis fuel through pyrolysis process.  

※ The action plans would include regulation reform to increase pyrolysis facilities inside industrial complexes (Promotion of Installation of Waste Disposal Facilities and Assistance, Etc. to Adjacent Areas Act, 2021) and R&D projects to advance recycling plastic waste, including producing pyrolysis oil (34.4 billion won, from 2022 to 2024)

Furthermore, ME plans to clarify the principle of responsibility of the origin of waste in the Wastes Control Act. While waste that is treated in different local communities from its origin, ME will prepare a legal basis for the "cooperation charge for bringing in wastes (TBD)" and implement it by 2022.  

The Enforcement Rules of the Wastes Control Act to prohibit direct landfilling of domestic wastes in 2030* will be revised and the action plans to increase mechanical biological treatment and incineration plants in cities and provinces in stages will be developed within 2021. 

* Metropolitan areas will start prohibiting direct landfilling in 2026.

In line with those, ME will set up the "Innovative Roadmap for a Circular Economy" in order to realize the circular economy in every sector in the second half of this year. 

Reinforcing climate change adaptation and community-centered climate resilience. 

ME will come up with measures to adapt to health and nature related disasters by easing impacts posed by climate change and support for building community-centered carbon neutrality and climate adaptation system. 

ME will lay the foundation for scientific surveillance and prediction on climate change by using a Geostationary Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite (GEO-KOMPSAT-2) and rigorously conduct a risk analysis on the impact posed by climate change. 

Moreover, ME will build the following systems to proactively respond to floods and draughts stemming from climate crisis: i) drawing a flood hazard map ii) increasing the number of offices where special flooding reports can be issued from 66 to 75 in 2021; and iii) developing a national draught vulnerability map in consideration of regional frequency and sensitivity, such as population and industries.  

According to the priority set by the risk level of climate change, pilot projects to build tailored facilities to respond to climate change.

※ Ex. road cooling and fog cooling systems, and nature parts for heatwaves; rainwater drainage tunnels for floods.  

Also, the central and local governments' plans on climate change will reflect climate impacts and vulnerability assessment when the plans are developed. And, ME's plan will be the first one to reflect those items this year. 

When the central government pushes forward with carbon neutrality, it cannot take into account the situations of each local community. Therefore, ME will provide systemic support for local communities to lead carbon neutrality. 

ME will encourage more local governments to join the "Alliance of Local Governments for Carbon Neutrality" and an initiative called the "Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)*" so that a total of 243 local governments can go carbon neutral.  

* The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) is the largest global alliance for climate change response and energy transition with a membership of 138 countries and 10,000 cities.

ME has laid out a legal basis for setting and implementing climate change response plans and adaptation measures of local governments* and starts providing comprehensive support.

* It is tentatively named the "Act on Implementation of Carbon Neutrality" and under discussion in the National Assembly in the first half of 2021. 

Toughening the institutional framework

ME plans to reinforce reviews on the climate impact posed by major policies and development projects and adopt the climate change impact assessment.  

When proceeding with major national plans and development projects, ME will set out an assessment process to consider their greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on climate change, layout a legal basis* within this year, and fully implement it by 2022.

* It is tentatively named the "Act on Implementation of Carbon Neutrality" and under discussion in the National Assembly in the first half of 2021.

Also, ME will create the "Climate Adaptation Fund (TBD)" for greenhouse gas emission reduction of businesses, support for local communities and people vulnerable to climate change, and scientific and technological research and development for climate change adaptation in cooperation with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

By successfully hosting the "Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (hereinafter P4G)," Korea will have a higher status on the global stage in terms of carbon neutrality. 

During the P4G Summit, carbon neutrality through green recovery, such as Green New Deals, will be set as the key agenda and the "Seoul Declaration (TBD)" will be adopted so that Korea will take the lead of global solidarity in achieving Green New Deals and carbon neutrality.  

Moreover, ME will attend the Leaders' Summit on Climate, hosted by the US government this year, to strengthen environmental cooperation between ROK-US on carbon neutrality. 

In addition, while attending upcoming events, including the G7 Climate & Environment Ministers' Meeting in May, the G20 Environment Ministers' Meeting in July, and the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November, Korea will take this as an opportunity to lead a global response to the climate crisis. 

Minister Han said, "the Ministry of Environment will build the foundation for implementing carbon neutrality and facilitate the overall transition in society as the leading governing body of carbon neutrality."