At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Chen Chien-jen received a National Science and Technology Council briefing on a program promoting science and technology to transition toward net-zero carbon emissions. The premier said new breakthroughs in science and technology will be key in determining whether Taiwan can reach its long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. He instructed related ministries and agencies to work together to promote the research, development and application of net zero-related science and technologies.
Achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 is a challenge as well as an opportunity for Taiwan, the premier said. Science and technology will serve as major driving forces behind the net-zero transformation across industries, society, lifestyles and the energy sector. Under the program, net-zero R&D will enable more effective and efficient use of energy and resources, and will involve the introduction of smart technologies, sharing economies, and new understandings in the humanities and social sciences to help the public adapt to the net-zero lifestyle of the future and reduce the impacts arising from that transition.
Premier Chen said the government plans to budget a minimum of NT$15 billion (US$493 million) per annum for the program. The first phase (2023-2026) prioritizes spending to build the basic technological infrastructure needed to achieve the government's national net-zero policy goals up to the year 2030. It integrates the promotion of five main areas—sustainable and future-oriented energy sources, low carbon and carbon reduction, carbon negative, the circular economy, and humanities and social sciences—to accelerate real-world implementation of net-zero technologies and facilitate next-generation R&D. The plan also promotes cooperation between the government and civic bodies to disseminate net-zero concepts among the general population and establish mechanisms for voluntary private investment. This will help to enhance public understanding and participation, and aid the transformation of Taiwan into a model nation for net-zero science and technology, the premier said.