As a member of the global village, Taiwan will not be absent from the battle against global warming and climate change, Premier Lin Chuan said at the Cabinet meeting today.
After hearing the Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) report on climate change and low-carbon energy strategies, the premier said Taiwan must confront the pressing issues of global warming and climate change. According to the universally accepted Paris Agreement, low-carbon green energy is the sole path to slowing global warming, he added.
The premier instructed Cabinet members to take climate change factors into consideration when formulating policies. And when implementing those policies and laws, they must outline action plans and establish key performance indicators for managing progress and results.
The government will soon establish an energy and carbon office, Lin added. Several preparatory meetings have been held, and the office will begin its work as soon as a suitable office space is found.
In its response to climate change, Taiwan is pursuing sustainable solutions for green energy resources that also ensuring nuclear safety, said Executive Yuan Spokesperson Tung Chen-yuan. When converting to newer forms of energy, Taiwan must consider strategies for the short term and the transition period, meet the needs of homes and businesses, and conserve energy to reduce peak loads.
To help Taiwan achieve its target of reducing 2050 greenhouse gas emissions to 50 percent lower than 2005 levels, the Executive Yuan's energy and carbon office will coordinate efforts among government agencies and review results on a rolling basis, the EPA said. The office will also establish partnerships between the central government and its local counterparts for reducing carbon and developing clean energy.
Taiwan is currently using various international cooperation mechanisms to build exchanges on climate change. Domestically, the government is encouraging citizen participation and raising information transparency to improve the public's knowledge of climate change, the EPA said.