Public deliberation must not be symbolic
On Aug 24, 2024, the Constitutional Court ruled Article 8(1) of the Net Zero Basic Act —concerning the mid- and long- term national greenhouse gas(GHG) reduction target — unconstitutional. The Court stated that failing to provide long-term GHG reduction targets for the period 2031-2049 infringes the environmental rights of future generations. It therefore urged the legislature to establish long-term targets by Febuary 2026.On March 5, the agenda and the composition of the citizen panel for public deliberation on the long-term emissions reduction pathway were confirmed. The panel will discuss the annual GHG reduction targets, the pathway for emissions reduction, and the measures required to achieve them through four rounds of discussion.
Actually, this process itself begins later than the Constitutional Court had required, and in the meantime the 2035 NDC was adopted with a broad reduction range of 53%~61% — a remarkably broad range that risks misleading citizens and future generations. I hope that this public deliberation does not become a symbolic process designed only to produce formal evidence of consultation. Instead, it should seriously consider the rights of future generations and ensure that the recommendations meaningfully influence policy decisions. It should not be forgotten that this deliberation began with the Court's ruling that the current policy infringes the environmental rights of future generations.
The Citizen deliberation sessions will be held on March 29-30 and April 4-5. They will be broadcast live on YouTube and television, and the public will be able to watch the discussions.
Today's article: Seoyoon Choi(2026). Agenda and Citizen Panel for ‘2050 Net Zero’ Pathway Deliberation Confirmed Today. CBS Nocut News. https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/6479692?utm_source=naver&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=20260305060023