Climate Hypocrisy? A Case of Korea’s Involvement in Coal Capacity Expansion in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Due to deepening climate change, countries around the world have increasingly committed themselves to transitioning to carbon neutral socio-economic systems. However, some recent studies and observations in the environmental realm have noted how commitments to address climate change have often turned out to be empty promises, to the extent that the actions of these countries can be called hypocrisy. This study adds to the existing discussion on climate hypocrisy, applying the concept to the case of South Korean firms' involvement in coal-fired power plant projects in Southeast Asia. The study problematizes such practices, as they have dramatized the discrepancy between Korea's commitment to carbon neutrality as well as greenhouse gas emission reduction goals as a responsible, leading green state on one hand, and its ongoing support for overseas coal capacity expansion via its public and private firms on the other. This discrepancy has eroded Korea's credibility in global environmental politics surrounding the climate change issue, inviting international criticism including local opposition in Southeast Asian countries. Moreover, some global financial firms have decided to withdraw their investment in Korean firms, causing monetary loss and raising the possibility of the coal-fired power plants under operation or construction to become stranded assets. In addition to conceptualizing the climate hypocrisy, this study highlights the importance of the congruence between commitment and action in global climate change politics.