Though Taiwan is not a party to the Paris Agreement signed at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, it will actively join the world community in the historic effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said at today's Cabinet meeting.
The premier, who was briefed by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) on Taiwan's response plans to the Paris Agreement, said Taiwan has declared its carbon reduction commitments in its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution. The government also passed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act to define national goals for reducing greenhouse gases over the long term. This act, which began as a regulatory foundation laid by the Legislature, later evolved into a major policy of the Executive Yuan and has now become a legally binding piece of legislation. Aside from demonstrating its green ambitions, Taiwan has fulfilled the spirit of the Paris Agreement by incorporating carbon reduction targets into domestic law.
To fight climate change, world nations must act together in slashing carbon emissions and developing green energy resources, which will create a win-win situation for the economy and the environment, the EPA said. The Paris Agreement has signaled to financial and energy markets around the world that the era of fossil fuels is coming to an end, and that the future lies in zero-carbon resources and green energy industries.