The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), under Director Lee Mi-seon, announced on the 21st that they will be reinforcing regulations to make it mandatory for government departments, local governments, and public institutions to use the ‘National Climate Change Standard Scenario’ in the formulation of policies to respond to the climate crisis. This measure is part of improvements to enhance the consistency and reliability of climate policies.
For the first time since the related law was amended in October this year, the KMA carried out a ‘Usage Status Survey’ to check the current use of the standard scenarios. The survey targeted 47 central administrative agencies, 243 metropolitan and basic local governments, and 62 public institutions. The results of the survey will be used to identify the fields in which the standard scenarios are being applied, the types of data being used, and the extent to which the policies are being reflected. The data will also serve as a basis for future policy improvements based on the demand from each institution.
The usage status survey will be conducted regularly every three years. The KMA plans to support the broad use of standard scenarios in various policy areas through careful investigation and analysis.
Additionally, to enhance the reliability of standard scenario production, the KMA has introduced a ‘Climate Change Scenario Approval System’. This procedure involves reviewing and approving whether the scenarios produced by institutions have been appropriately derived according to objective criteria. This year, five institutions have applied for approval, and a suitability review is in progress. The results of the approval process will be disclosed through the climate information portal.
The production of standard scenarios is carried out through the ‘Integrated Calculation System (K-CMIP2)’, which considers scientific and technical standards such as resolution, storage rules, and reproducibility. The KMA plans to cooperate with relevant ministries and institutions to integrate (ensemble) the approved scenarios produced by various entities into a single national standard scenario, reducing confusion in scenario selection during policy formulation, and enhancing the credibility of climate policies.
Lee Mi-seon, Director of the KMA, stated, “This institutional improvement will enable us to integrate scenarios among institutions and provide standard scenarios, ensuring policy consistency. We will strive to strengthen the nation’s capability to respond to the climate crisis and provide trustworthy information to the public in a timely manner.”