Recently Passed Bills
- Bill
- Resolution calling for an Emergency Response to Climate Change
- PROPOSED BY
- Chair of the Environment and Labor Committee
- PROPOSITION DATE
- 2020-09-22
- COMMITTEE
- Environment and Labor Committee
- RESOLUTION DATE OF PLENARY SESSION
- 2020-09-24
- Bill
- Resolution calling for an Emergency Response to Climate Change
- PROPOSED BY
- Chair of the Environment and Labor Committee
- PROPOSITION DATE
- 2020-09-22
- COMMITTEE
- Environment and Labor Committee
- RESOLUTION DATE OF PLENARY SESSION
- 2020-09-24
Resolution calling for an Emergency Response to Climate Change
Adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
on September 24, 2020
The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea perceives a series of recent unusual climate events and aggravating global climate change as a ‘climate crisis,’ and is fully aware that the ROK is the 11th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world whose emissions volume is steadily rising.
As the legislature of a party member to the Paris Agreement, the National Assembly is committed to solving climate problems in accordance with the provisions of the Paris Agreement, and the special report “Global Warming of 1.5 °C” by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Therefore, with the aim of passing down a sustainable way of life and a healthier country to future generations while addressing the social inequalities aggravated by climate change, the National Assembly hereby resolves as below:
1. We sternly perceive the current climate change, caused by an excessive use of fossil fuels and an increasing discharge of greenhouse gases, which contributes to climate disasters such as drought, floods, heat waves and cold waves, storms and wildfires, while inflicting unequal damage across different social groups, to be a ‘climate crisis,’ and in order to devote proactive efforts toward addressing the crisis, declare the current situation to be a ‘climate emergency.’
2. We accept the suggestions made in the IPCC’s special report with gravity, and call upon the ROK government to raise the national goal for reducing greenhouse gases by 2030 to a level that fulfills what is set forth in the IPCC report; to draw up long-term low-carbon development strategies aimed at achieving ‘net-zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and share the strategies with the international community; to establish and implement policies to carry them out; and to that end, we pledge to closely cooperate with the government.
3. To cope with the worsening climate crisis, we will establish a special committee on climate change response that will assist with relevant budget allocations, amend and legislate relevant laws, gather ideas from different sectors to review policies on technology and workforce development, revamp energy-related taxation, provide support to vulnerable segments of society, and so forth, and supervise such policies in a comprehensive manner so as to induce a nationwide movement.
4. In the process of a ‘grand transition’ of responding to the climate crisis, we shall make sure that a broad spectrum of people participate, under the principles of democracy, rationality, and procedural transparency; that the environment and the economy coexist, under the principles of concession and compromise, understanding and consideration; that responsibilities and profits generated in the course of the transition be distributed equally across the entire spectrum of society, under the principles of justice and equity; and that no side effects and costs be shifted onto socially disadvantaged persons, laborers, small- and micro-business owners, and local communities. We shall also remain committed to devising measures to protect and support fragile segments of society who are vulnerable to damage stemming from climate change, thereby complying with the principles for a ‘just transition’ in order to overcome the climate crisis and social inequality.
5. We are committed to reinforcing measures for the preservation, protection, and restoration of marine and terrestrial species in order to prevent the loss of biodiversity precipitated by global warming, and by doing so, seek to maintain and expand carbon sinks and other means of climate change adaptation, and ultimately, pursue a healthier natural environment and a sustainable society.
6. We are fully aware that responding to the climate crisis is a challenge that must be approached on a global scale, beyond the individual national level, and will actively cooperate with the government to reduce global carbon emissions.
Adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
on September 24, 2020
The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea perceives a series of recent unusual climate events and aggravating global climate change as a ‘climate crisis,’ and is fully aware that the ROK is the 11th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world whose emissions volume is steadily rising.
As the legislature of a party member to the Paris Agreement, the National Assembly is committed to solving climate problems in accordance with the provisions of the Paris Agreement, and the special report “Global Warming of 1.5 °C” by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Therefore, with the aim of passing down a sustainable way of life and a healthier country to future generations while addressing the social inequalities aggravated by climate change, the National Assembly hereby resolves as below:
1. We sternly perceive the current climate change, caused by an excessive use of fossil fuels and an increasing discharge of greenhouse gases, which contributes to climate disasters such as drought, floods, heat waves and cold waves, storms and wildfires, while inflicting unequal damage across different social groups, to be a ‘climate crisis,’ and in order to devote proactive efforts toward addressing the crisis, declare the current situation to be a ‘climate emergency.’
2. We accept the suggestions made in the IPCC’s special report with gravity, and call upon the ROK government to raise the national goal for reducing greenhouse gases by 2030 to a level that fulfills what is set forth in the IPCC report; to draw up long-term low-carbon development strategies aimed at achieving ‘net-zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and share the strategies with the international community; to establish and implement policies to carry them out; and to that end, we pledge to closely cooperate with the government.
3. To cope with the worsening climate crisis, we will establish a special committee on climate change response that will assist with relevant budget allocations, amend and legislate relevant laws, gather ideas from different sectors to review policies on technology and workforce development, revamp energy-related taxation, provide support to vulnerable segments of society, and so forth, and supervise such policies in a comprehensive manner so as to induce a nationwide movement.
4. In the process of a ‘grand transition’ of responding to the climate crisis, we shall make sure that a broad spectrum of people participate, under the principles of democracy, rationality, and procedural transparency; that the environment and the economy coexist, under the principles of concession and compromise, understanding and consideration; that responsibilities and profits generated in the course of the transition be distributed equally across the entire spectrum of society, under the principles of justice and equity; and that no side effects and costs be shifted onto socially disadvantaged persons, laborers, small- and micro-business owners, and local communities. We shall also remain committed to devising measures to protect and support fragile segments of society who are vulnerable to damage stemming from climate change, thereby complying with the principles for a ‘just transition’ in order to overcome the climate crisis and social inequality.
5. We are committed to reinforcing measures for the preservation, protection, and restoration of marine and terrestrial species in order to prevent the loss of biodiversity precipitated by global warming, and by doing so, seek to maintain and expand carbon sinks and other means of climate change adaptation, and ultimately, pursue a healthier natural environment and a sustainable society.
6. We are fully aware that responding to the climate crisis is a challenge that must be approached on a global scale, beyond the individual national level, and will actively cooperate with the government to reduce global carbon emissions.
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