기후변화에 대한 대응: 기후변화적응법의 제정

초록

It is important to adapt to climate change in order to respond to the negative impact of ongoing greenhouse emission as well as to prepare for the future. Indeed, policies for mitigation are as important as adaptation policies. The two must progress together as they supplement each other. The Framework Convention on Climate Change is aware of this point and is putting efforts to deal with both adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. However, adaptation has often been neglected more than mitigation. Discussions on adaptation have often been left vague and too general. More often times has it been considered an exclusive problem of developing countries. However, developed nations are also the subject of climate change. Thus the issue on adaptation is important for them as much as it is to developing countries. In South Korea, efforts to adapt to climate change are poor while emissions continue to grow. The reasons to such stagnation are mainly due to the lack of awareness, skepticism, and difficulties in implementation. Legislative deficiencies cannot be ignored as well. Korean adaptation system has been based on one article of Green Growth Basic Act. The current legislative framework can only be criticized in that it is weighing more importance on mitigating greenhouse gases while it should be adapting to climate change, too. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to improve the current system to incorporate specific regulations on the methods and details of adaptation. The answer is to enact the Climate Change Adaptation Act. Our future no longer depends on saying we tackle climate change; it depends on whether we show action or not. Preparation will help curtail expenses while planned-out adaptation will cut down the cost even more.

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