South Korea to host Green Growth summit

The 2021 Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) summit will begin today in Seoul.

The two-day summit will bring together political and private sector leaders to discuss the theme of “inclusive green recovery towards carbon neutrality.”

While diplomats say they are expecting few major announcements or initiatives to emerge from this summit, expect South Korea to instead to look to polish its climate reputation on the international stage. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has long sought to improve South Korea’s international reputation on climate issues–primarily stemming from its heavy industries and reliance on coal for energy purposes–in order to cement its place as a leader in the global mission to combat climate change.

President Moon is expected to offer the closing remarks of the conference which will likely highlight South Korea’s efforts to end its reliance on coal energy in the future. Additional initiatives to protect wildlife and combat marine pollution are also likely to be included in this speech, as these issues have been central to President Moon’s previous public statements on the environment and are both fields in which South Korea can take a leading role.

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