Session Description
Climate change is reshaping the scope and assumptions of impact assessment. In conventional environmental impact assessment (EIA), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate-related risks have often been treated as separate or secondary considerations, limiting the systematic integration of mitigation and adaptation into decision-making and follow-up.
To address these limitations, Korea introduced a statutory Climate Change Impact Assessment (CCIA) system in 2022 under the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Coping with Climate Crisis. Applied to major national plans and large-scale development projects, CCIA assesses GHG mitigation and climate adaptation within a single legal and procedural framework linked to the existing EIA process.
Looking back on Korea's early implementation experience, this session will examine the design and operation of the system, including GHG estimation and mitigation measures, future climate risk and adaptation assessment, and follow-up mechanisms. It will also discuss priorities for improvement, such as criteria and methodologies, stronger links with national mitigation and adaptation policies, better treatment of uncertainty, and greater influence of assessment findings on approval and consultation decisions.
While anchored in Korea’s institutional framework, this session welcomes global contributions. on comparative institutional frameworks, innovative methodologies, and practical case studies, and follow-up. By bridging diverse global experiences, it aims to identify shared challenges, foster collaborative learning, and discuss the global way forward for integrating climate change into impact assessment.
Session Summary
This session examines Korea’s statutory Climate Change Impact Assessment system, covering institutional development, GHG mitigation, climate risk and adaptation, and follow-up. Drawing on early experience, it highlights key lessons and priorities for more effective climate integration in impact assessment.
Additional Information
The tentative presentation topics are as follows:
1. Development and early implementation of Korea’s statutory Climate Change Impact Assessment system
2. GHG emissions assessment and mitigation approaches
3. Climate risk and adaptation assessment methods
4. Follow-up, monitoring, and implementation mechanisms for Climate Change Impact Assessment
The session will present Korea’s early institutional experience while also encouraging comparative perspectives, methodologies, and practical case studies from other countries.
Session Chair
Yumi Kim
Korea Environment Institute
South Korea