Maroc - TAIWANTODAY.TW - Taiwan Review - 01/11/2024 00:00

Coordinated Action

Admitted NGOs at UNFCCC events give Taiwan a voice on the international stage.   Realizing the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals is a global project that requires concerted effort from parties around the world. Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE) takes the country’s commitment to these goals seriously, organizing conferences that bring together representatives of governments and civic organizations, as well as academic and business leaders, from across Asia to generate new partnerships dedicated to bettering the region and the world. This year’s expo took place in Taipei City and comprised exhibits, forums and awards recognizing achievements in net-zero emissions, low-carbon cities, circular economies and sustainability measures. In line with Taiwan’s status as a high-tech hub, companies and research institutes gave presentations on advancements in fields like hydrogen energy. Though Taiwan is not currently a member of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), TAISE has been granted observer status. Events the institute hosts focus on Taiwan’s capability to contribute to the international community.   Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (Photo by Chen Mei-ling) Meaningful participation in the UNFCCC and its annual Conference of the Parties (COP), the world’s largest climate summit that brings together chief representatives from government, academia, business and civil society to coordinate strategies for tackling global warming, is an aim shared by TAISE and Taiwan’s government. COP29 takes place during November in Baku, Azerbaijan, and calls on attendees to commit to ambitious national plans to keep climate change and temperatures under control while addressing loss and damage that often affect the most disadvantaged sectors of society.   Firm Resolve Taiwan is excluded from U.N. membership, meaning the country is not permitted to officially take part in any of the international body’s activities, mechanisms or meetings. “We’re determined to actively engage in whatever way we can,” said Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明), head of the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) and executive secretary of the National Climate Change Committee, which was established earlier this year by the Presidential Office to reaffirm the goal of building a net-zero Taiwan. Each year the MOENV partners with domestic organizations like the Industrial Technology Research Institute, another UNFCCC-recognized observer headquartered in the northern county of Hsinchu, to send a delegation of public and private sector representatives to the COP host city to hold sideline events and exhibitions.   Support from across the international community is building for Taiwan’s bid for constructive, pragmatic and professional participation in the UNFCCC. “We’re always ready to conduct exchanges with allies and like-minded partners to get a handle on international policy trends and discuss crucial initiatives like the net-zero campaign,” Peng said. He cited ongoing expansion of renewable power capacity and energy efficiency as matters of particular interest, along with Article 6 of 2015’s Paris Agreement, which enables transnational cooperation on carbon crediting mechanisms. “No country can solve a global climate crisis alone,” Peng said. “It’s unjust to close Taiwan off from international negotiating systems and effectively penalize it with the resultant lack of information.” The country’s exclusion from the global network undermines immediate benefits and long-term progress at home in addition to restricting its ability to fully contribute to international advancement. “We’re willing and able to carry out carbon reduction and related cooperation in accordance with the UNFCCC scheme, but it costs us disproportionately in terms of both time and labor to do so alone,” the minister added.   Changhua Coastal Industrial Park is home to one of Taiwan’s largest land-based solar farms. (Courtesy of Taiwan Power Co.) Green Progress Peng asserts that Taiwan has experience and expertise to share in such fields as sustainable energy development. “Our knowledge and proven competency in wind power farm construction has made us a leading force in Asia in a sector that holds enormous commercial potential,” the minister said. Nearly a decade of offshore construction and management in cooperation with international firms have nurtured homegrown expertise as well as the emergence of local supply chains, attracting experts from Asian neighbors like Japan, South Korea and the Philippines that are keen to learn about the Taiwan model. Offshore wind and solar power are the country’s fastest growing green energy sources, with installed capacities rising from zero and around 1.2 gigawatts, respectively, in 2016 to 2.4 GW and 13.4 GW in June. The Ministry of Economic Affairs projects that wind power installed capacity will reach 13.1 GW in 2030 and that solar could see 31 GW the same year. Taking into account additional resources from biomass, geothermal and hydroelectric energy, Taiwan can expect renewables to generate 20 percent of total electricity by the end of 2026, rising from around 4 percent a decade earlier.   Environmental policies rank high on the national agenda, and long-term emission targets are codified in laws like 2015’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, amended in 2023 and renamed the Climate Change Response Act. The act introduces measures such as carbon fees and a cap-and-trade program to support the government’s net-zero plans in line with UNFCCC agreements and related international conventions. Accordingly, the state-backed Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange was established in August last year in the southern city of Kaohsiung, and carbon fees for enterprises that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year are to be implemented in 2026.   To better integrate with the EU system, Peng explained that the ministry will establish a liaison office starting next year to conduct exchanges and negotiations on issues including the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism and other environmental concerns such as air pollution control, regulation of plastic items and the management of solid recovered fuel. “This closer contact will help keep us on track to reach goals outlined in Taiwan’s Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050,” Peng added. Released by the Cabinet-level National Development Council in 2022, the plan sets out systematic strategies for strengthening climate legislation and technological R&D to trigger energy, industrial, lifestyle and societal transitions.   Mom Loves Taiwan Association Secretary-General Yang Shun-mei, left, Chair Irene Chen, center, and Hsu Kuang-jung, the group’s founding chair  (Photo by Chen Mei-ling) Social Impact For Peng, the energy and capabilities of local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can be of great help in expanding Taiwan’s international presence. Before his appointment in May, he attended UNFCCC events as a representative of NGOs like the Tzu Chi Foundation, a religious charity group headquartered in the eastern county of Hualien, and Taipei-based Taiwan Climate Partnership. Other local NGOs with observer status, such as the Mom Loves Taiwan Association (MLTA) in Taipei, also send members. The group was established in 2013 to bring attention to nuclear power, but its present focus is a broader environmental and sustainability portfolio. Hsu Kuang-jung (徐光蓉), one of the founders, and Secretary-General Yang Shun-mei (楊順美) first attended COP21 in 2015 and have continued to participate since, maintaining that joining in-person gatherings at global events is vital to building direct contact with international NGOs.   “It’s important to exchange information on a regular basis to stay up to date on changing international regulations,” Hsu said. “Annual climate summits are also a great way for organizations in the public and private sectors to gauge other nations’ attitudes and positions in order to forge a favorable pattern of international collaboration for Taiwan.” MLTA Chair Irene Chen (陳藹玲) further explained that disseminating information at home and planning follow-up projects is a significant task. “Media literacy about environmental sustainability is a major topic of the speeches, forums and workshops we organize,” she said. Yang concurred, adding, “We want to help our children see what they can do right now and how they are an indispensable part of the global community.”  Write to Pat Gao at cjkao@mofa.gov.tw