신기후변화체제(파리협정)의 평가와 그 대응

초록

The Paris Agreement, which opens door to a new climate change regime, was made after 18 years of the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. The parties gathered in Paris reached the agreement with difficulty. The duration of negotiation was long and different opinions among the involving nations was furious. However, the simple outcome is to limit the temperature of the earth. The Paris Agreement took into enforce in November 2016 which is one year after its adoption. It is because of the ratification from other major countries(including India, EU and Canada, etc.) that took place after the United States of America (USA) and China. The new climate change regime can be considered a historical milestone. It has provided a turning point to overcome the limit of the Kyoto Protocol which requires an obligatory reduction from only several developed countries. The ambitious aim to limit the temperature increase to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial level and the process to prepareㆍcommunicate and monitorㆍverify the national determined contributions(NDC) are considered big steps. The agreement also creates a framework(global stocktake) for evaluating progress towards meeting the agreement’s goal every five years. However, the NDC lacks legal binding and the sanction for its violation is not prepared which leaves behind a controversy. Korea has become a member of the new climate change regime in November 3th, 2016. Thus, the country has earned several responsibilities to carry out. The major four are as the followings. First, submission of the NDC every five years and the implementation for the fulfillment of NDC. Second, establishing and implementing an adaptation plan and submission of a report of the implementation plan. Third, submission of a national inventory report and information to track the implementation and progress of the NDC. Last, providing financial resources for developing countries if designated as a developed country. Among these four, the first obligation is most important as it is considered the foundation of the Paris Agreement. Even though the NDC lacks legal binding, its political binding is considered strong. Thus, efforts to achieve the emission reduction targets, implementation plan, and measurements for implementation which are stated within the NDC are needed. In June 2015, the Korean government has internationally announced its plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by 37% of the BAU until 2030. This promise is considered its immediate objective. It would be difficult now to decrease the reduction goal or renounce its implementation plans. The establishment of the new climate change regime is pressuring Korea’s response to climate change. The Paris Agreement declares participation of all developed and developing countries. For this reason, the meaning and the effectiveness of differentiation of two is considered insignificant. However, the international society has declared Korea as a developed country and has the possibility to demand considering its status. If wise actions are not taken, the country could face crisis both domestically and internationally. Active preparation for future negotiations should be made. In addition, among others, strict implementation of the emission trading system, preparing of domestic implementation laws, introducing carbon tax, repealing the fossil fuel subsidy, and expanding the use of renewable energy should be fulfilled. If actions are not taken now, there would be a bigger price to pay later.

키워드