Former advisor to the UN Secretary-General on climate change and a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rae Kwon Chung shared his views on global climate policy, green growth, and Kazakhstan’s potential in an exclusive interview with a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
You have been working on climate issues for decades. How has the global approach changed since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio? The change has been very significant. From 1992 until around 2009, countries were trying to agree on legally binding commitments, meaning that if a country failed to meet its targets, there would be penalties.
That was the core idea behind the UN climate regime and agreements like the Kyoto Protocol. However, after the failure to reach such an agreement at the Copenhagen conference in 2009, the system shifted. Instead of legally binding targets, countries moved to voluntary declarations.
The current Paris Agreement is based on this non-binding approach. This is a major transformation. The key question now is whether we can actually meet global climate targets without enforcement. That uncertainty remains. As the author of “green growth,” do governments treat it as a real strategy or just a slogan?
It is not a slogan, but it is very difficult to implement. Green growth requires governments to prioritize long-term goals over short-term needs such as economic growth, jobs, inflation or social welfare. The challenge is that the results of green growth come in the long run, often after 10 or even 20 years.
Political leaders, however, are expected to deliver immediate results. This time gap makes it difficult to convince people. Another issue is public understanding. Many people focus on short-term economic concerns and do not see climate action as a priority. Without public support, governments alone cannot push long-term strategies effectively.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly developing. Is it a risk for the environment? It has both positive and negative sides. AI can improve efficiency and help optimize systems, which is beneficial. At the same time, it consumes a large amount of electricity. At this stage, it is difficult to say whether the overall impact will be positive or negative.