South Korea is charting a complex and potentially contradictory energy future, caught between ambitious domestic climate pledges and significant international trade commitments. At recent UN climate talks, the country’s new Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced plans to retire most of its coal-fired power plants by 2040 and to at least halve its carbon emissions by 2035. This signals a desire to accelerate a renewable energy transition, as South Korea currently lags behind global averages with only about 10.5% of its power from renewable sources in 2023. However, this green ambition clashes with ongoing trade negotiations with the United States, where South Korea has offered to import billions of dollars worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) as part of a broader deal to avoid tariffs.
The core dilemma lies in whether increased LNG imports will support or undermine South Korea’s climate goals. While LNG burns cleaner than coal, it is still a fossil fuel that produces planet-warming emissions. Climate activists warn that simply replacing coal with LNG risks locking the country into a fossil fuel-dependent future rather than achieving a genuine green transition. The government, however, frames LNG as a necessary „complementary or emergency energy source” to balance the intermittency of renewables, alongside a planned expansion of nuclear power, which already provides about 31% of the nation’s electricity. The pending U.S. deal, which could commit South Korea to importing millions of tons of American LNG annually for up to a decade, creates uncertainty about whether total fossil fuel consumption will decrease or merely shift sources.
This energy policy tension reflects a broader national debate between economic and environmental priorities. The government’s emissions reduction target—a 53% to 61% cut from 2018 levels by 2030—was crafted as a compromise between climate advocates and powerful business lobbies. The move to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance sends a strong symbolic message of intent, but experts stress that rapid, massive deployment of renewable energy is essential to meet these commitments. As one of the world’s largest coal importers, South Korea’s planned coal phase-out will also send significant ripples through regional energy markets, forcing exporters in the Asia-Pacific to confront a declining market. Ultimately, South Korea’s success in navigating this climate dilemma will depend on its ability to rapidly scale up wind, solar, and other renewables while managing its fossil fuel dependencies during the transition.
Ez a cikk a Neural News AI (V1) verziójával készült.
Forrás: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/south-korea-climate-pledge-cut-050925509.html.