Pre-Conference of SEEPS 2021

Challenges of Decarbonization Policies andTechnological Innovations
toward Carbon Neutral Societies in East Asia
14:00~18:00, September 24, 2021

Opening Remark

The background andThe Purpose of the Conference
Soocheol Lee
Meijo University
slee@meijo-u.ac.jp

The Background ofthe Conference

The Background of the Conference👉Measures to address climate change have shifted course toward achievingcarbon neutrality by 2050. In March 2020, the EU unveiled a long-term strategy
with a firm commitment to climate neutrality by 2050.
👉In East Asia, the roadmap toward decarbonization society has begun as Japan,
China and Korea declared Carbon Neutral last year. This movement will inevitably
leads to carbon neutrality announcements in other Asian nations.
👉In order to achieve this ambitious target in the region, it is crucial that welldesigned decarbonization policies are in place and there are coordinated supports
for revolutionary decarbonization technologies among different sectors.

👉In East Asia, 80~85% of the primary energy supply comes from fossil fuels, which islargely in line with the global average (BP, 2020). This suggests that the path to carbon
neutrality by 2050 will be challenging, given the current technologies to reduce greenhousegas and policy options available. Reducing the consumption of fossil fuels to virtually zero
over the next 40 years would likely impose considerable economic burdens.
👉However, recent years have seen rapid development in a variety of decarbonization
technologies, including renewable energy, EV, and hydro-gen production, shining a light ofhope on the road to carbon neutrality.
👉The EU’s early declaration of its carbon neutral aspirations was based partly on
expectations that innovations in decarbonization technologies created in the process would
strengthen its industrial competitiveness, cementing its position as a global economic leader(European Commission: 2018).

IPCC (2018)「Special Report on Global
Warming of 1.5°C」●Limiting warming below or close to 1.5℃ would
require to decrease net emissions by around 45% by2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

●Even just for limiting global warming to below 2℃,
CO2 emissions should decline by 25% by 2030 and by
100% by 2075.

Climate Ambition Alliance⇒Participants who commit to achieve net zero CO2 emission by 2050（September 27, 2021）〇Cities : 799〇Regions : 35
〇Companies : 4,468〇Organizations : 778〇Investors : 221〇Countries : 136

Climate Ambition Alliance⇒Participants who commit to achieve net zero CO2 emission by 2050
（September 20, 2021）〇Cities : 733〇Regions : 31
〇Companies : 3067
〇Organizations : 661〇Investors : 173〇Countries : 121

East Asia's Race to Carbon Neutrality

Taiwanwhen?
Source: https://futureneutral.com/south-korea-joins-china-japan-in-pledge-to-be-carbon-neutral/Purpose ofthe ConferencePurpose of the Conference👉We invite leading academics of East Asia to exchange ideas on how toeffectively design decarbonization policies and support decarbonization
technologies toward carbon neutrality.
👉Furthermore we will discuss policy cooperation and strategy in East Asia tomaximize the benefits and minimize the costs associating with carbon neutral
climate policies.
👉Successful policy design, supporting of new technologies, and cooperation in
East Asia will not only lead to climate neutrality but will also strengthen futureindustries and businesses in the regions.
👉I hope this conference will be one of good place of discussion to collect ideas
towards bright future of carbon neutral society in East Asia.

Thank you very much!
Soocheol Lee
Meijo University
slee@meijo-u.ac.jp