파리협정에 따른 적응 보고의 의의와 우리나라의 참여방안 고찰

Abstract

Under the Paris Agreement, each Party should submit and update periodically an adaptation communication (ADCOM), independently, as a component of, or in conjunction with other communications or documents, including a national adaptation plan, a nationally determined contribution (NDC), a national communication, or biennial transparency report. Submitted adaptation communications shall be recorded in a public registry. The Glasgow Climate Pact adopted at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) also requested Parties to submit their adaptation communications ahead of the COP27 which will be held in November 2022 so as to provide timely input to the global stocktake. Under this context, however, Korea has not yet submitted its adaptation communication. Surely, the Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Act for the Climate Change of the Republic of Korea which has just entered into force on 25th March 2022 stipulates that the government can prepare and update an adaptation communication in accordance with the Paris Agreement. Also, the NDC that Korea submitted includes the adaptation component. However the Korean government has not submitted nor recorded it as the adaptation communication. Therefore, the Korean government should make a timely decision on and prepare its submission of the adaptation communication. There has been hardly any studies regarding the preparation, submission, or evaluation of adaptation communications in consideration of Korean context. Hence, this paper discusses the implication of communicating adaptation information and compare possible adaptation reporting instruments that exist under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, for a strategic approach to the preparation of adaptation communication. The paper concludes that it is important to participate in the global efforts for adaptation to climate change and thus recommends for the Korean government to submit and record its adaptation communication in a timely manner. The paper recognizes that both NDC and independent ADCOM are the possible instruments for Korea, but the independent ADCOM will be the best option in case that the government wants to increase the visibility of Korea’s adaptation actions.