On Wednesday P4P Peers hosted a cross-party delegation of parliamentarians from the Republic of Korea (ROK) National Assembly. Leading the ROK delegation was Hon Han Jeoung-ae, a National Assembly member and former Environment Minister as well as Chair of the UK-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group and Co-Chair of ROK's National Assembly Climate Change Forum (NACCF).
The ROK is a significant global player in achieving the Paris goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Alongside China and Japan, it holds considerable influence over the energy transition in Asia, particularly within the ASEAN region.
This first meeting with ROK National Assembly members was an opportunity to introduce Peers for the Planet and explain how the group has been working together across party lines to place the response to climate change and biodiversity loss at the top of the political agenda.
Peers learnt from the National Assembly members that they used the Climate Change Act 2008 as the benchmark for their ‘Carbon Neutrality Act’ 2020 which puts net zero by 2050 into ROK law. They shared how the NACCF proposed and supported the bill through the National Assembly.
The meeting was an opportunity for both nations to learn about the opportunities and challenges each country is facing in delivering net zero. Peers and the National Assembly Members all agreed that climate change is not a single party issue but a challenge that all political parties, businesses and wider society must work together to address.
There were many areas of shared experience and a joint understanding of the significant economic and business opportunities that the low carbon transition offers, as well as agreement that governments must play a key role in creating the frameworks and structures to make it happen. There was also a shared belief that strong multilateral and bilateral alliances are critical in applying pressure on businesses, financial institutions and governments to deliver change at the pace and scale that is needed.
