Basic Report

Climate change is the biggest threat because of its catastrophic worldwide impacts. Global temperatures, economic disruptions, and the number of natural disasters and extreme weather events have increased over the 50 years. There is a long-standing recognition of the necessity to limit and reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. In 1992, United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) was the first global response to climate change. In 1997, The Kyoto Protocol was the first universal and international agreement to mitigate climate change and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, took effect on 16 February 2005. To further elaborate on this issue, The Paris Agreement was adopted to combat climate change and its negative impacts by reducing emissions, and making commitments to determine Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in its partner countries. UN Climate Action Summit 2019 called on world leaders to raise ambitions and accelerate actions by implementing The Paris Agreement. Recently, 120 countries and the EU have joined the Climate Ambition Alliance, to build momentum for decarbonisation, working together to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
   The Republic of Korea's (ROK) government decided to formulate and develop Long-term low greenhouse gas emissions Development Strategies (LEDS) to guide carbon offsetting. ROK's 2050 vision aims to achieve carbon neutrality goals by 2050, released in October 2021. Also, ROK's National GHG Reduction Target (NDC) was set to cut GHG emissions by 40% below 2018 level target by 2030. To achieve this task, the central government implemented a set of reduction strategies all over the sectors. However, it faced the challenge of emission-intensive industries, particularly energy-related industries; automotive, shipbuilding, petrochemical, and semiconductor device fabrication companies would make significant profits in export earnings. Thus, building a roadmap is vital to achieving the net zero target, and the transition to net zero emissions would entail a global economic transformation affecting all countries and all sectors, either directly or indirectly.
   Limited attention has been given to a consideration of the roles and responsibilities of local and regional authorities, while they did not have all the power to make the necessary changes. Furthermore, ROK's central government has not yet created an overarching strategy to make a clear partnership between national and local governments in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. ROK's 243 local authorities and public agencies bonded to build new local government associations to support a national vision, in terms of NDC and Net Zero 2050. In recognition of the importance of local government's role to play a central role in reaching carbon neutrality by aggregating challenges and coordinating activities. However, these efforts and responses are limited to declaring the plan, yet implementing and operating an action plan for reducing carbon emissions has not been launched. To this end, this study seeks to outline the responsibilities of local government by taking a leading role in decarbonisation. The research is structured in the following manner.
   In Chapter 2, we began with an overview of the literatures paying attention to climate change issues and strategies to net zero. The principles of Sustainable Development, Green Growth, Green New Deal, and ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) are presented. It helps us to make a concrete research framework. Relatedly, we also reported on the shortcomings of the "Framework act on low carbon, green growth" and the "Act on the allocation and trading of greenhouse gas emission permits". We discussed how to improve the strengthened partnership between local and national governments, making collective actions effective that could deliver net zero ambitions.
   In chapter 3, we analysed National GHG emissions inventory data (1990 to 2019), including the magnitude of annual emissions by sector. It allowed us to understand the current status, and to explore the short-term and long-term trends by comparing year-on-year GHG emissions. Next, we have transformed the inventory data into an end-user basis, entitled consumption-based emissions inventory, to categorise Energy, Industry, Commercial and public, Household, Transport, Agriculture, and Waste disposal as new sectors. To do so, we explored and identified the differences in Gross (excl. LULUCF) and Net (incl. LULUCF) emissions over the regions in the ROK. Additionally, an experimental study was conducted in the case of Jeonju City to estimate carbon emissions by building block levels using machine-learning methods and GIS.
   In Chapter 4, we investigated ROK's municipal ordinances (i.e., local government law) to check how legal interventions can drive climate action plans. Survey has been conducted to ask about the challenges and restraints of local government to reach net zero emissions by 2050. We found that several limitations were associated with a lack of support from the central government, while net zero strategies were managed and driven at the national level. It reminds working collaboratively upstream with the central government while leading and working collaboratively downstream with local governments to convey a unified strategy; committing to net zero.
   In Chapter 5, we reviewed the climate policies of European countries (including the EU, UK, and Netherlands) and Japan; they have sought to pay attention to building a partnership between national and local governments differently. Local initiatives for European countries were taking a significant role in delivering net zero at the local and regional government level, working with cross-sectoral partners across the academic, public, community, and voluntary sectors. In contrast, local governments in Japan were building their pathways by developing through local plan-making and decisions fully supported by the central government.
   In Chapter 6, we coordinated the role and responsibilities of local governments of ROK by discussing the theoretical and empirical implications dealt with in previous sections of this study. In effect, local governments are responsible for setting their policies to achieve the national goal and building the action plans to be taken place at the local level. Four principles of a net zero framework for local government will be considered to achieve net zero by 2050; 1) locally driven climate change action, 2) resilient and durable net zero transition, 3) boosting the economy alongside net zero, 4) building long-term emissions reduction plan. Net zero would be achieved through a broad and collaborative approach by the strengthened partnership between local and national governments with an effective action plan.
   Finally, this study concludes by discussing policy implications to build the local pathway towards net zero as follows: 1) To make use of scientific evidence, 2) promote local leadership in the transition to net zero, 3) build consensus between local authorities in driving local climate action, and 4) work towards building a partnership between central and local government to tackle climate change together.