Climate Change Center

On December 2, the Climate Change Center, together with the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of France to the Republic of Korea, co-hosted the 2025 East Asia Climate Dialogue in Seoul.

 

The year 2025 marks both the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the critical juncture at which countries submit their new 2035 NDCs. Against this backdrop, leading climate policymakers convened in Seoul to review a decade of progress since Paris and to discuss ways to strengthen NDC implementation in the years ahead. The Dialogue also reaffirmed East Asia’s commitment to establishing a new regional climate governance architecture—in a region that is both the center of global emissions and a testbed for global mitigation efforts.

 

 

 Opening Ceremony 

In his opening remarks, Jai-chul CHOI, Chair of the Climate Change Center, underscored the significance of 2025 as the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the first year of the enhanced 2035 NDC era following COP30. While noting the disappointment that the United States could not join this process, he emphasized that more than 110 countries—responsible for over 70% of global GHG emissions—have submitted new NDCs, signaling that the global transition is now irreversible. 

 

He further highlighted that climate implementation is no longer centered solely on national governments but increasingly involves local governments, industries, civil society, and youth. The decisive climate leadership of the future, he stressed, will be defined by policies implemented on the ground. Since its founding in 2008, the Climate Change Center has positioned itself as a “diplomatic and policy platform for implementation”—supporting awareness-raising, policy delivery, local government cooperation, and developing-country partnership. Recalling his experience as Korea’s chief negotiator during the Paris negotiations, he expressed hope that this event would connect Paris (2015) and Belém (2025) and position Seoul as the starting point for renewed East Asian climate leadership. He concluded by outlining the vision of developing the Dialogue into a regular regional cooperation platform and called for sustained support from participants.

 

Following this, Hoesung Lee, 6th Chair of the IPCC and Founding Chair of the Carbon-Free Alliance, delivered congratulatory remarks. Marking the 10th anniversary of Paris, he emphasized that this Dialogue should serve as the launch point for enhanced regional cooperation. “The next decade will be defined by speed,” he noted, stressing the importance of building implementation capacity through cross-regional collaboration. He reminded the audience that the IPCC has long provided the scientific foundation for global climate policy and expressed hope that East Asia would emerge as a central arena of global climate action.

 

 

 

 

 

 Youth and Citizens' Dialogue 

The youth session featured presentations from two leading youth climate groups. U-Savers, a university-based youth program launched in 2012 under the Climate Change Center, has trained more than 500 youth climate leaders through programs such as Climatus College, combining study with hands-on practice. Turntable, a climate communication collective, seeks to “mainstream the climate narrative” through social media, lectures, policy engagement, and public campaigns that make climate issues accessible in everyday language.

 

Bokyoung Kim of U-Savers reflected that while the past decade was one of accumulating commitments, the coming decade will be a period in which implementation is judged. She stressed that the transition trajectories of Korea, China, and Japan will largely determine the global pace of NDC delivery. She also noted that Korea must navigate carefully between its obligations as a developed–developing “bridge country,” balancing international credibility with domestic economic and employment realities. Identifying the “implementation wall,” she emphasized that youth will be the core actors supporting future implementation.

 

Dagyeong Lee, also from U-Savers, framed NDCs as a “societal promise” that affects every dimension of life. She examined current tensions—between generations, between industry and civil society, and between central and local governments—and argued for a justice-based framework (Who–What–When–Where–Why–How) to manage participation, fairness, speed, and burden sharing.

 

Cheolho Woo of Turntable defined NDCs not as “government numbers” but as a choice about the kind of society we want to build. Youth, he noted, are already participating in implementation and must be recognized not as recipients but as co-designers of policy.

 

During the panel discussion, speakers agreed that social trust and consensus are central to NDC implementation. Essential conditions for the 2035 NDC included:
– a social compact embracing both government investment and industry responsibility;
– stronger feedback mechanisms to reflect youth perspectives in policy;
– structural incorporation of local and labor stakeholders;
– and adequate public consultation processes.

The session concluded by reaffirming that the core challenge of the NDC era is not “numerical ambition” but societal acceptance—ensuring everyone is committed to achieving agreed targets.

 

 

 

 

 

 Commemorative and Congratulatory Remarks 

During the high-level session marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, speakers emphasized the global shift from “the era of promises” to “the era of implementation.” Ki-moon Ban, 8th UN Secretary-General, underscored that implementation must now be the shared priority of the international community. He recalled the historic moment when the Paris Agreement was adopted and emphasized that strengthened normative guidance—such as the recent ICJ advisory opinion—further clarifies the responsibilities of states. He stressed the crucial roles of local governments, businesses, and civil society, reminding participants that “failure to deliver will be paid for by future generations.”

 

Yong-soo Kim, Administrator of the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth (and 2nd Vice Minister at the Office for Government Policy Coordination), presented Korea’s strategies for renewable energy expansion (100 GW by 2030), grid development, and industrial transformation through electric vehicles, hydrogen, and batteries. He explained that the 2035 NDC target (53–61%) is a growth and innovation strategy, not a regulatory burden, and pledged to align domestic structural transition with international climate cooperation.

 

Philippe Bertoux, Ambassador of France, described the Paris Agreement as “a defining success of multilateralism,” adding that COP30 managed to secure essential progress. He emphasized the urgency of mobilizing technology, policy, and finance in line with the scientific timetable and reaffirmed France’s determination to lead climate diplomacy as the 2026 G7 Presidency.

 

Márcia Donner Abreu, Ambassador of Brazil, described the 10-year milestone as a moment of mixed progress and unfinished tasks. She highlighted key outcomes from COP30—including elevating adaptation to equal footing with mitigation, tripling adaptation finance, and amplifying the voices of women, local communities, and subnational actors—while stressing that “the only thing missing now is speed.”

 

Collectively, these high-level messages demonstrated how the commitments made in Paris (2015) and the renewed will shown in Belém (2025) are now being carried forward through the East Asia Climate Dialogue.

 

 

 

 

 

 Climate Ambassadors’ Dialogue 

In Session 4, Korea’s former Climate Change Ambassadors—who have shaped the country’s climate diplomacy—shared insights from their negotiation experience. A common view emerged: Korea must evolve from a rule-taker to a balancer and rule-maker in global climate governance.

 

[Special Keynote] Laurent Fabius, COP21 President and Former Prime Minister of France

Fabius emphasized the transformative impact of the Paris Agreement. Before Paris, global temperature projections approached 4°C; today, largely due to collective mitigation actions, the projection has declined to around 2.5°C—an unmistakable “Paris effect.” He highlighted positive developments such as increased renewable energy investment and the growth of green industries. Summarizing the success of Paris in three elements—Science, Society, and Engagement—he underscored the essential roles of civil society, local governments, and youth. He concluded with a clear message: the next decade must focus on “Implement, Implement, Implement”, driven by better and faster action.

 

[Presentation] Keeyong Chung, Former Ambassador for Climate Change

Jeong reflected on COP30, noting that the core challenge in climate policy is no longer achieving new agreements but executing existing ones. The difficulty in adopting explicit fossil-fuel transition language, he explained, illustrates the complex geopolitical dynamics of climate negotiations. He urged Korea to accelerate its transition from rule-taker to rule-maker, adding that “the task is clear—the challenge is speed.”

 

[Dialogue: Climate Journalist Meets Climate Ambassadors]

Moderated by Deokhyeon Hwang, Climate Correspondent at News1, the dialogue brought together:
– Boo-nam Shin Executive Director of Climate Action, Korea Energy Agency (Ambassador 2013–14)
– Jai-chul CHOI, Chariamn, Climate Change Center (2014–16)
– Chan-woo Kim, GCF Advisory Ambassador, Incheon Metropolitan City (2016–17)
– Yeon-chul Yoo, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Korea (2018–21)
– Hyoeun Kim, CEO, Global Industry Hub (2021–24)

 

Boo-nam Shin described how developing countries often face pressure in negotiations due to technological and financial constraints, noting that Korea’s international negotiation capacity depends on clear domestic strategies—renewables, grid expansion, distributed resources, and local participation.

 

Chan-woo Kim referenced the UNEP Emissions Gap Report, acknowledging that global projections have improved by roughly 1°C over a decade yet still remain on a dangerous 2.3–2.5°C trajectory. He stressed that climate transition is “a marathon, not a 100-meter sprint,” requiring both ambitious targets and feasible roadmaps.

 

Yeon-chul Yoo highlighted that “the way carbon is governed will define the future order.” He warned that Korea’s ETS price (approx. KRW 10,000/ton) compared with the EU ETS (~70 EUR) will eventually affect export competitiveness.

 

Hyoeun Kim emphasized the tensions between Korea’s international visibility and domestic constraints. Limited geographic potential for renewables and low public acceptance increase the structural challenge, making it essential to link industrial transition to economic strategy, not simply regulation.

 

Jai-chul CHOI argued that Korea must move beyond defensive compliance and become a designer of climate diplomacy, particularly under Article 6 carbon markets. He reiterated that early mitigation and early market entry will shape future competitiveness. He recalled that, during the NDC negotiations, Korea warned that excessive penalties could trigger a "race to the bottom" by encouraging countries to weaken their targets - a position that gained support from both the United States and China and helped the principle that NDCs should be domestically driven rather than externally imposed. He stressed that this is not a license to fall short; in his view, delivery on climate pledges has become a core test of national credibility and international standing.

 

 

 

 

 

 NDC Dialogue with Multistakeholders 

The final session brought together the core actors responsible for executing the 2035 NDC—highlighting the realities and challenges they face.

 

1. Climate Finance Determines NDC Ambition — Mohamed Khalil (GCF)

Khalil emphasized that climate finance is central to raising NDC ambition. As the only large-scale multilateral fund supporting the entire NDC cycle—from capacity building to MRV, project development, and procurement—the GCF has mobilized USD 78.7 billion with its own USD 19.3 billion in funding. He reaffirmed that “ambitious NDCs become possible only when finance is available.”

 

2. China’s NDC 3.0 — Chai Qimin (NCSC)

Chai outlined China’s preliminary direction for its 2035 NDC 3.0, describing East Asia as the region most exposed to climate thresholds. China has already met its past commitments ahead of schedule and is advancing a 1+3+3 framework, aiming for:
– 7–10% net GHG reduction by 2035,
– over 30% non-fossil energy share,
– 3,600 GW of wind and solar,
– strengthened sinks and expanded EV markets,
– and an expanded ETS covering industries responsible for 80% of national emissions.

 

3. Japan’s GX-ETS and the Next Phase of Industrial Transition — Naoki Matsuo (IGES)

Naoki Matsuo, Senior Researcher at IGES, introduced Japan’s NDC, which strengthens its reduction targets linearly from 2030 to 2050 based on 2013 levels. While past reductions mainly came from energy efficiency improvements, he said future efforts will focus on renewable expansion and a shift to hydrogen in the energy mix. He noted that Japan’s GX-ETS serves not only as a regulatory tool but also as an industrial and growth strategy, with carbon pricing functioning as a financing mechanism. Currently in a pilot phase, the ETS will launch with a legal basis in 2026, applying free allocation at first and introducing auctions after 2033. GX and the ETS are expected to play a key role in industrial transition and power market reform.

 

4. Korea’s Remaining 200 Million Tons — Minji Choi (Greenhouse Gas Inventory & Research Center)

Choi noted that Korea has reduced 89 million tons so far but must cut over 200 million additional tons to meet its 2035 targets. She explained the dual challenge created by the Constitutional Court ruling—requiring a legally defined reduction pathway—and emphasized the need for expanded renewables, fuel switching, and innovation in heavy industries.

 

[Non-state Actor Panel] The Reality of Transition

– Yeosu, a petrochemical hub, faces declining competitiveness, falling employment, and delayed transition implementation despite years of warning.
– Pohang, a major steel city, is under pressure due to aging infrastructure and insufficient transition support relative to the EU and Japan.
– Gangwon Province faces both high emissions (16.2%) and enormous sink responsibility (26% of national forests), requiring a dual strategy of industrial transition and climate-tech development.

 

Hyun-seok Shin, Chair of the session, concluded that successful NDC implementation requires a governance shift: from central-government-led structures to shared responsibility across industry, regions, and youth—with youth positioned not as beneficiaries but as strategic partners.

 

 

 

 

 

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East Asia Climate Dialogue 2025

Defining Korea’s Role as a Middle Power in the Post-Paris, Post-Belém Era

 

The 2025 Dialogue marks the first official stage at which Korea, as a middle power, formally articulated both its role and the shared tasks required for regional NDC implementation after the 10 years since Paris. Building on this year’s discussions, the Climate Change Center will expand cooperation across East Asia and ASEAN to progressively establish the regional implementation norms and joint execution models required for the 2035 NDC era.