South Korea went public with its commitment to a reduction in pollution and coal use at COP30, the 30th iteration of the UN climate change summit known as the "Conference of the Parties," held in Brazil in 2025.
The Carbon Herald reported that South Korea "set a 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of cutting emissions by 53% to 61% relative to 2018 levels."
The nation also plans to cease the use of "unabated coal plants," according to the Carbon Herald. An unabated coal plant is one that doesn't utilize Carbon Capture and Storage technology, as per E3G.org.
This news, while welcome in terms of protecting the planet, is not great for Australia's economy. Australia is second behind only Indonesia in coal exports, and South Korea is one of their top three markets, according to The Guardian.
This should ring alarm bells for Australia, say experts, signaling the importance of ending the nation's — and the world's — reliance on fossil fuels, which are the main cause of planet-warming pollution, with coal being one of the worst, despite flimsy counter-arguments and unnecessary costs to consumers.
James Bowen of ReMap Research, an Australian consultancy working on the country's energy transition, said, "For Australia to continue to rely on fossil fuel exports in the medium to long term is a risky strategy," per The Guardian.
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But Australian politicians are torn on the best path forward. Carbon Brief wrote that the Labor Party plans to continue opening and using coal mines.
Meanwhile, the Liberal-National Coalition has agreed to scrap a policy that promised zero emissions by 2050.
In response to this reversal, Australia's Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, "The Liberals haven't listened, they haven't learnt, and they certainly haven't changed. Instead of having a modern energy plan they want to 'sweat coal' which means more ageing, unreliable coal in the system for longer — and Australians will pay."
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