July 16, 2020; SEOUL, Republic of Korea – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) held the ECCK – GGGI Energy & Environment Seminar on Thursday, July 16, 2020.

GGGI Director-General, Dr. Frank Rijsberman, opened the event by delivering a presentation on the importance of achieving net-zero targets and recovering from COVID-19, as well as how GGGI is supporting green deals for its Members and partners. During his presentation, Dr. Rijsberman shared 3 recommendations for Green New Deals and green recovery from COVID-19, including (i) green investments greater than brown; (ii) fast-track ongoing climate action and green growth policies; and (iii) combine enabling green growth policies with investments.

“As a secretariat of the Blue Skies & Net Zero 2050 Campaign, GGGI reaffirms our commitments toward South Korea’s green transition,” shared Dr Rijsberman. “Despite COVID-19, we’ve gained a few instances of major progress for the Campaign for Blue Skies & Net Zero 2050 in the ROK. We are seeing bold promises from the Korean government to ramp up climate ambitions.”

Following the presentation, Ambassador of Denmark to the Republic of Korea, Einar Jensen, and Ambassador of Italy to the Republic of Korea, Federico Failla, provided insights on their countries’ pathways to reaching net zero emissions. Ambassador Einar delivered a presentation on Denmark’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050, sharing information on their climate partnerships between the pubic and private sectors, the latest climate action plan by the Danish government, and the economic impact of offshore wind.

“All societal stakeholder groups are involved in the Danish green transition, recognizing the importance of achieving the 2030 and 2050 targets,” explained Ambassador Jensen. “We need everybody to engage in this action. Otherwise, we will not succeed in achieving our targets and sustainable development.”

Ambassador Failla highlighted Italy’s transition to a net zero emissions economy, presenting the Integrated National Plan for Energy and Climate (PNIEC), Italy’s Long-Term Strategy 2050, and Italy’s progress in limiting energy consumption. “Regardless of the impacts of COVID-19, Italy will maintain our ambition to mitigate risks and costs of the climate crisis,” shared Ambassador Failla.

The second part of the seminar focused on examining Korea’s Emissions Trading System. Korean experts, including Ms. Sangmin Kim, Lawyer from Lee & Ko, and Dr. Sue Kyoung Lee, Green Technology Center, highlighted policies and actions that need to be undertaken to reduce GHG emissions in the country.