Deputy Minister of the Ocean Affairs Council Huang Hsiang-wen joined the 12th World Ocean Summit & Expo March 12-13 in Tokyo to convey to the international community Taiwan’s dedication to solving urgent issues such as marine plastic pollution.
Organized by the U.K.-based Economist Impact, the meeting welcomed such prominent speakers as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan, President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau and President Hilda C. Heine of the Marshall Islands. Attendance at the conference topped 800 and included academic, corporate, governmental and organizational representatives from 10 countries.
Discussions centered on the blue economy, marine governance, innovative technologies and methods to address marine contamination. Participants outlined various marine protection initiatives and practices in addition to sharing reports on the progress of startups in the field.
Multiple workshops were held alongside the forum to encourage attendees to explore measures for blue carbon rehabilitation and ocean de-acidification, as well as renewable energy and shipping. The discussion centered on creating or expanding the blue economy, and fulfilling the U.N.’s sustainable development goals.
During a March 13 panel discussion on the challenges of implementing the Global Plastics Treaty, Huang expounded on the history of Taiwan’s policy of limiting plastic use and the successful management of sea waste. She cited the country’s more than 5,000 divers who collect marine waste, its 6,000 environmental protection ships, an Indo-Pacific collaboration platform initiative targeted at managing marine debris, and an alliance founded by more than 60 businesses to advocate for the recycling and reuse of sea waste. (POC-E)
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