Korean Journal of Environmental Biology (환경생물)

Korean Society of Environmental Biology (한국환경생물학회)
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Environmental cooperation strategies of Korean Peninsula considering International Environmental Regimes

한반도 환경협력을 위한 국제사회 동향과 미래 협력방안

  • Chul-Hee Lim (College of General Education, Kookmin University) ;
  • Hyun-Ah Choi (Korea Office, Hanns Seidel Foundation)
  • 임철희 (국민대학교 교양대학) ;
  • 최현아 (한스자이델재단 한국사무소)
  • Received : 2022.06.07
  • Accepted : 2022.06.23
  • Published : 2022.06.30
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Abstract

North Korea has actively participated in the international community related to environmental agreements. It has proposed various environmental policies internally since the Kim Jong-un regime. In particular, it emphasizes activities related to climate change response, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the conservation of ecosystems including forests and wetlands. In this study, a new security cooperation plan was proposed with an understanding of the climate crisis and environmental regime as a starting point. To this end, trends and recent activities for climate-environment cooperation in the international community and on the Korean Peninsula were analyzed. In addition, North Korea's conditions for cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, technology demand, and the projected future environment of the Korean Peninsula were dealt with. Ultimately, through advice of experts, we were able to discover cooperation agendas by sector and propose short-term and long-term environmental cooperation strategies for the Korean Peninsula based on them. In this study, conditions and directions for cooperation in fields of climate technology, biological resources, air/weather, water environment, biodiversity, renewable energy, bioenergy, and so on were considered comprehensively. Among 21 cooperation agendas discovered in this study, energy showed the largest number of areas. Renewable energy, forest resources, and environmental and meteorological information stood out as agendas that could be cooperated in the short term. As representative initiatives, joint promotion of 'renewable energy' that could contribute to North Korea's energy demand and carbon neutrality and 'forest cooperation' that could be recognized as a source of disaster reduction and greenhouse gas sinks were suggested.

지금까지 북한의 환경실태 분석과 환경협력에 대한 연구는 주로 특정 지역이나 특정 부문을 중심으로 이루어져 왔다. 그러나 기후변화 대응과 현재의 코로나19 전염병 대유행 상황을 극복하기 위해서는 국경을 넘어선 협력과 연대가 필수적이다. 기후위기 상황에서 북한의 환경 현안은 산림, 습지 등 육상 생태계, 식수위생, 식량안보, 영양, 보건서비스 등과 연관이 있으며, 이를 개선하기 위한 지원과 국제사회와의 협력이 필요하다. 북한은 환경협약 관련 국제사회에 적극적으로 참여하였고, 내부적으로도 김정은 정권 이후 다양한 환경관련 정책을 제시하면서, 기후변화 대응, 물관리, 지속가능발전목표(SDGs), 산림, 습지를 포함한 생태계 보전관련 활동 등을 강조하고 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 기후위기·환경레짐에 대한 이해를 출발점으로 하는 새로운 패러다임의 신안보협력방안을 제안하였다. 또한, 그동안 제기되어 온 과거 남북교류협력의 문제점을 개선하고 대내외적으로 변화한 환경에 대응하는 전략을 모색하였다. 이를 위해 국제사회와 한반도에서의 기후환경협력 동향과 최근 활동들을 분석하였다. 또한, 한반도 협력을 위한 북한의 여건과 기술 수요, 전망된 한반도의 미래환경을 다루었다. 궁극적으로 전문가들의 자문을 통해 분야별 협력의제를 발굴하고 이를 기반으로 장·단기적인 한반도의 환경협력전략을 제시할 수 있었다. 본 연구에서는 기존 연구에서 다루지 않았던 한반도 차원의 미래환경 공동대응 기반 마련과 함께 생태공동체 조성을 위한 기후기술과 환경·생물자원, 대기·기상, 물환경, 생물다양성, 에너지 환경기술, 신재생에너지, 바이오에너지 등 신안보 분야 협력 여건과 방향, 그리고 국제 환경레짐 안에서 진행할 수 있는 협력 방향 등을 종합적으로 고려하였다. 본 연구에서 발굴한 21가지 협력의제 중 에너지가 가장 많은 분야를 보였고, 단기적으로 협력 가능한 의제로는, 신재생에너지, 산림자원, 환경·기상정보 등이 두드러졌다. 대표적인 추진방안으로는 북한의 에너지 수요와 탄소중립 이행에 기여할 수 있는 '신재생에너지'와 재해저감과 온실가스 흡수원으로 인정받을 수 있는 '산림협력'의 공동추진이 제시되었다. 다만, 본 연구에서는 현재의 대북제재 상황이나 코로나 19 상황에 따른 북한의 봉쇄 상황 등을 고려하지 않고 남북기후·환경협력을 위한 공동의제와 의제에 따른 유형을 분류한 것이다. 이번 결과를 중심으로 관련 후속 연구가 진행되어야 할 필요가 있다. 본 연구에서 제시한 신재생에너지, 산림자원, 대기·기상, 물환경, 바이오에너지, 생물다양성, 환경·생물자원, 기후변화 적응 등 분야별 협력방안에 대해 남북이 공동으로 추진 시 단계적 접근 방향과 고려사항, 추진체계, 부문별 구체적인 세부 협력방안, 그리고 부문 간 연계를 통한 협력방안 등이 후속 연구로 진행되어야 할 것이다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

본 연구는 통일부의 정책연구과제와 한국연구재단 남북과학기술협력사업(과제번호: 2022K1A5A2067157)의 지원으로 수행되었습니다. 또한, 협력의제 발굴을 위한 자문해주신 분야별 전문가분들께 감사드립니다.

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