The IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C claims that global human-caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must decline by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 in order to reach carbon neutrality (Net Zero) objective in 2050. Accordingly, all concerne...
The IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C claims that global human-caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must decline by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 in order to reach carbon neutrality (Net Zero) objective in 2050. Accordingly, all concerned countries have to formulate their Long-Term Low greenhouse gas Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) under the Paris Agreement and communicate them to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) until 2020.
In March 2019, the South Korean government established the 2050 Low-carbon Vision Forum, constituted of 69 members distributed in 7 branches including academia, industry, civil society, and youth. After more than one year of social discussion, and based on the draft establishing the foundations of South Korea’s 2050 LEDS, the government finally submitted its final strategy to the UNFCCC in December 2020. It is particularly noteworthy that, unlike previous climate change policy establishment processes in South Korea, the formation of the 2050 LEDS policy included the young generation.
This thesis examines the differences between the 2030 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and the 2050 LEDS decision-making processes in the South Korean context. It particularly investigates the role of the governance changes that contributed to the participation of the youth in the debate and the implications of this participation for the 2050 LEDS decision-making process. To address these questions and identify potential causal relationships, a case study approach using qualitative research and process tracing methodologies is adopted. A particular focus is made on climate governance, and a new framework based on the collaborative governance theory is applied. Data collection methods include surveys of literature, participatory observations, and in-depth interviews with 21 key stakeholders.
The analysis results show that the scope of the participating stakeholders and the time for social discussion were larger in the 2050 LEDS establishing process than in the 2030 INDC establishing process. In other words, there have been more opportunities for ordinary citizens to participate in climate change-related debates during the building of the 2050 LEDS. Nevertheless, it is essential to keep information on climate change transparent, open, and understandable for all citizens. In the 2050 LEDS establishing process, the youth generation expressed their opinions on carbon neutrality through active participation inside and outside the forum. Despite some certain limitations of the governance system for the decision-making process in terms of equity and deliberation, the youth has had a significant influence in establishing South Korea’s 2050 carbon neutrality declaration and contributed to creating a harmonious governance structure for various stakeholders to participate in.
This study has several implications. First, the governance analysis framework was used to analyze specific climate change-related decision-making cases and to evaluate the governance of 2050 LEDS – i.e., carbon-neutral strategy, the most important starting point for future climate change policies. Second, a theoretical approach was adopted to apply the qualitative case study methodology through governance theory and process tracing methods. Third, it has been verified that the participation of the youth generation has a central role in influencing the national government's climate change policy. It has also been observed how this influence has been demonstrated in different cases. Future climate change policies require the establishment of governance systems where not only young people but also various stakeholders can participate. It also identified the importance of guaranteeing transparent information in the process of climate change policymaking and social discussion. This study highlights the necessity for effective governance systems to be built and operated in the process of decision-making climate change policies in the future, with the ultimate goal of contributing to increasing the acceptability of climate change policies for citizens.