Act on Climate and Climate Change Monitoring and Forecasting to be Enforced on October 25

- Preparing detailed procedures for establishing a national climate change monitoring and forecasting strategy

-Systematic climate change monitoring and production and joint use of various kinds of climate forecast information

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) and the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) announced that the Act on Climate and Climate Change Monitoring and Forecasting will take effect on October 25 to respond to the climate crisis actively by scientifically monitoring and forecasting climate change. The Enforcement Decree of the Act has also been prepared and will be enforced, and its main contents are as follows:

 In accordance with the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Climate and Climate Change Monitoring and Forecasting, KMA—as the agency in charge of overall climate crisis monitoring and forecasting—will perform specific roles such as establishing systematic procedures for preparing the Master Plan for Climate and Climate Change Monitoring and Forecasting and an annual implementation plan. Moreover, it will put together the Guidelines for Preparing the Master Plan to help the relevant ministries establish climate change monitoring and forecasting strategies and aggregate and coordinate the plans they submit to finalize and distribute them following deliberation by the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth.

 MOF establishes and operates a national ocean observation network and a marine environment measuring network as part of the Ocean and Polar Observation Network to observe climate change in the ocean and polar environment and ecosystem. This will produce monitoring information related to climate elements such as sea temperature, salinity, ocean currents, sea ice, and sea level as well as the interactions of these elements within the climate system and abnormal extreme climates in the ocean and polar regions, such as glacier loss.

 Based on this monitoring data, the Korea Meteorological Administration will produce climate forecast information on elements such as temperature, precipitation, sea surface temperature, solar radiation, wind, wave height, and phenomena like El Niño and La Niña. MOF will generate climate forecast information on elements such as sea temperature, salinity, ocean currents, sea ice, and sea level, along with insights into ocean circulation and environment and ecosystems of marine and polar regions. This effort aims to strengthen future climate crisis response capabilities.

 MOF and KMA have established an information system for the joint utilization of climate and climate change monitoring and forecasting information to make it easier for the general public and policymakers to use this information. The two organizations will also establish designation criteria and procedures for designating the climate change monitoring and prediction specialist organization to spur research and development related to climate change, such as identifying the causes of climate change worldwide and in Korea and the interactions of climate systems.

 KMA has established approval procedures for climate change scenario applications, suitability assessments, and notification of results required to produce national climate change standard scenarios pursuant to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Climate and Climate Change Monitoring and Forecasting. Moreover, the agency has specified the qualifications and application procedures for educators of climate change science to promote scientific knowledge on climate change.