[In-It] The UN says to stop using coal... What is our choice?

The coming has come.

'Stop the use of coal-fired power plants by 2030'

On March 3, 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Coutechs made an official order to OECD countries.

He also said that investment in coal power plants should also be completely stopped.

What does the UN secretary-general's order to de-coal mean for the global economy and even for the Korean economy and society?

There are a total of 37 OECD member countries.

Most advanced countries such as Germany, France, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan are included.

The Republic of Korea officially joined the 29th member state on December 20, 1996.

The OECD is basically an economic club in developed countries, but it also includes some of the developed countries.

Eastern European countries such as Mexico, Hungary, and Chile have also joined the OECD, and the most recent member of the country is Colombia, South America ($6,428 per capita GDP).

Although slightly different according to statistical standards, OECD member countries account for about 50% of global GDP.

In summary, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has ordered countries that produce 50% of the world's GDP to shut down their coal power plants within 10 years.

If so, what is the situation in Korea?

According to the KEPCO-issued Electric Power Conservation Report, coal power generation accounts for 36% of the total electricity production in 2020, which is a little over a third.

It was 41% higher in 2019 and 42% in 2010, 10 years ago.

The 9th power supply plan, announced by the government after long labors at the end of last year, decided to reduce the share of coal power generation from 41% to 31% by 2030.

Coal power generation facilities have decided to reduce the scale of 35.8 gigawatts in 2020 to 32.6 gigawatts by 2030 by about 9%.

However, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has ordered to reduce coal facilities in OECD countries to zero gigawatts by 2030.

There is an enormous gap between the national power supply and demand plan that came out just a few months ago and the UN's orders.

Could we have been unable to predict whether the United Nations would make these demands?

In fact, numerous studies and reports have already emphasized that the withdrawal of coal-fired power plants is inevitable.

After the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was passed at the end of 2015, various studies were conducted on what measures are needed to prevent global warming. The results of a specific study that it should be discontinued have been published.

At the end of 2017, one year after the results of this study, a nationwide Powering Past Coal Alliance was formed, led by the UK and Canada, and currently 36 countries, 36 local governments, and 50 companies are registered. It has grown into a huge alliance.

Many countries that have joined the coalition alliance are members of the OECD and have achieved considerable results by promoting coal removal from early on.

However, although Korea was advised to join the coal coalition alliance from the UK and Canada, it did not join in the end.

If he had been prepared by joining the coal coalition alliance, he would not have had a national plan to reduce the proportion of coal power generation.

Korea is even constructing a new thermal power plant with a lifespan of nearly 30 years in Samcheok, Gangwon-do.

So how do we respond?

First is how to do'My Way'.

It is to roughly crush the demands of the United Nations and other advanced countries and cut down on coal power generation.

Although the European Union is preparing to impose a carbon border tax on products in countries with weak carbon dioxide emission regulations, large customers such as Apple are demanding that semiconductors and other products be made using renewable energy such as solar and wind power. I just ignore it.

The other way is one.

It replaces coal-fired power by generating electricity by installing internationally recognized'steamed' renewable energy such as solar and wind power.

There are quite a few people in our country who argue that this is impossible, and this method is used by almost all countries around the world, and our country is actually going in that direction as well.

The problem is that the government's goal is only to be at an insignificant level to increase the share of renewable energy to 20% by 2030.

In the case of the United States, after the election of President Biden, a major change in energy and climate policy is being promoted, and a bill aimed at raising the production of carbon-free power by 80%, centered on renewable energy by 2030 in the House of Representatives, and up to 100% by 2035. It was assumed.

Rather, in Japan, more than 100 companies, including Sony, are constantly asking the government to increase the share of renewable energy power to 40-50% by 2030.

This is because major customers such as Apple are demanding the use of renewable energy, and various sanctions such as carbon border tax on products made using'poor' electricity that destroy the global climate are foreshadowed.

The Japanese government's target for renewable energy is 22-24% in 2030, which is only half of the level required by Japanese export companies.

Korea, too, will have to increase renewable energy by about 40-50%, which Japanese companies require, even if it is not 80% by 2030 that the US House of Representatives will promote.

Some are certainly not convinced of the UN Secretary-General's'Zero Coal Power Generation in 2030' order.

Many people claim that the achievement of 20% of renewable energy, which Korea aims for by 2030, is too high and is fast.

Some oppose large-scale wind power plants and large-scale solar power plants, and some argue that even if it takes time, they should use the rooftops of buildings to step by step.

However, responding to the climate crisis is a time-limited problem.

From the time when the greenhouse gas problem first emerged, now that many years have already been wasted, the time left for us is quite fair.

Without time, would the UN Secretary-General openly order that all OECD countries should shut down coal-fired power plants within 10 years?

The surgery must be completed within the specified time, and the time bomb must be dismantled within the remaining time to succeed.

Suspension of coal power generation and expansion of renewable energy must also be completed within the given time frame.

That way, it can help prevent the worst climate change damage.

In this matter, speed is a virtue.

If there are still people who oppose the rapid expansion of renewable energy and advocate the theory of speed control without any grounds yet, I would like to tell you that the founder of Hyundai Group, Chairman Jeong Ju-young, did it after he succeeded in producing automobiles with his own technology.

"If you stick with positive thoughts, you will see the way you didn't see it, and if you have negative thoughts, you won't see the way."

Add one more word to this that the president said.

"Hey, have you tried it?"

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