Taiwan Today

Taiwan is ready, willing and able to help shape a sustainable global future.

To mark this year’s international Earth Day, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) reiterated Taiwan’s resolve to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The goal is challenging but achievable with firm commitment and close cooperation by public and private entities across the country. “We also look forward to industry, academia and all sectors of society working together with our government,” the president said. “We’ll combine our nation’s strengths and resources to ensure that the international push for a transition to net-zero by 2050 helps power Taiwan’s own development heading into this new era.” She made the remarks at a forum on environmental sustainability in Taipei City that was attended by Cabinet officials, legislators and representatives from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as Taipei-based Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE).

On the global stage, Taiwan continues to seek meaningful participation in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its annual Conference of the Parties (COP), the world’s largest climate summit bringing together activists, specialists and heads of state to reach agreements concerning greenhouse gas emission targets and coordinate plans addressing global warming-related issues. This year’s 27th edition taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from Nov. 6 to 18 aims to ramp up global climate action through strengthened emissions reduction, expanded adaptation and enhanced finance, while prioritizing a just transition process for developing countries worldwide.

Taiwan is excluded from the UNFCCC and thereby cannot officially take part in its activities, mechanisms and meetings. Nonetheless, the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) partners with local NGOs each year to organize a group of public and private sector representatives to the COP host city to hold exhibitions and sideline events during the conference. While official delegations from the country are blocked, a total of 10 local organizations are allowed to send unofficial ­observers to UNFCCC events. Among these are state-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute in the northern county of Hsinchu, as well as Taipei- and New Taipei City-based TAISE, Environmental Quality Protection Foundation and Taiwan Research Institute. The number will rise to 11 if CTCI Education Foundation, located in the nation’s ­capital, is likewise granted observer status.

  Taiwan’s bid for constructive, pragmatic and professional participation in the UNFCCC has won widespread support in the international community, and the country remains determined to ­cooperate with allies and like-minded partners on environmental issues, according to EPA Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬). “No country can solve the global climate crisis alone,” Chang said. “A place at the table is essential for Taiwan to adequately respond to world trends.” The country has a vital role to play in combating ­climate change, but its absence in the global ­network restricts its ability to fully join in the fight. “We’re internationally recognized for our expertise in disaster prevention, medical care, public health and ­pollution control, and we’re more than happy to share that knowledge with others,” he added.

Sustainable Focus
Environmental policies have ranked high on Taiwan’s agenda in recent years, as evidenced by its status as one of the first countries in the world to write long-term emission targets into law. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, promulgated in 2015, is currently being revised to meet the government’s net-zero plans. Under the new name of the Climate Change Act, the amended legislation will introduce carbon tariffs and relevant market systems, among other measures. This is complemented by the March release of Taiwan’s Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050 (TPNE) by the Cabinet-level National Development Council. Formulated with recommendations from the Ministries of Economic Affairs, the Interior, and Transportation and Communications, as well as the Cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council, the plan lays out systematic strategies to bring about transition in the energy, industrial, lifestyle and social spheres.

Under the TPNE, the government envisages at least 60 percent of power to be generated by renewable energy and around 10 percent from hydrogen by 2050. At the same time fossil fuels—paired with carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies—will drop to less than 30 percent of the total. To reach the phased goal of generating 20 percent of electricity from sustainable sources by 2025, Taiwan’s solar power capacity has more than septupled to over 9 gigawatts since 2016 and is expected to reach 20 GW in the next three years and 30 GW by 2030.

The wind power sector is also rapidly expanding in the Taiwan Strait via joint projects by local and international firms. Two offshore wind farms in waters off the coasts of Miaoli and Changhua Counties in northern and central Taiwan feature 43 turbines. These are part of plans to reach an installed national capacity of 5.6 GW by 2025, with the subsequent decade projected to see a 1.5 GW rise in wind power output per year.

Taiwan’s solar and wind energy sites now produce more electricity than the country’s two active nuclear plants, which currently make up around 10 percent of the total energy supply and are slated to be phased out by mid-2025. In addition, the country’s biogas and geothermal resources as well as its marine current capability are being explored to help power a sustainable future. Overall results from renewable energy initiatives are encouraging, as statistics from the TPNE reveal that economic growth is decoupling from greenhouse gas emissions. From 2005 to 2019, Taiwan’s gross domestic product increased 64 percent, while carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP dropped 34 percent.

Local Engagement
Low-carbon strategies implemented by Taiwan’s municipal governments also play a key role in helping meet the ­country’s environmental pledges. A prominent example was launched by Pingtung County Government’s interagency Green Energy Project Promotion Office in southern Taiwan. Since the office began operating in 2016, it has utilized idle space and nonarable land to install ­floating, ground-mounted and rooftop solar power systems. In one case, a solar farm was established on the site of a former illegal gravel mining operation in Gaoshu Township. “Given that land acquisition can be difficult, we must strike a balance between the concerns and interests of landowners, business operators and ­environmental administration ­authorities,” said Pingtung Magistrate Pan Men-an (潘孟安).

The office has helped indigenous communities in remote areas set up solar facilities for emergency use. “Such places often experience power outages, especially during typhoon season,” Pan said, adding that with supplemental energy storage equipment, the communities can move toward sourcing all their energy requirements from renewables. Pingtung has become a leading force in the national drive for greater energy self-sufficiency, with green energy meeting 100 percent of residents’ everyday electricity needs, or about a third of the county’s total consumption. The goal was achieved earlier this year, fulfilling the pledge Pingtung made to the 100% Renewables Cities and Regions Network when it joined in 2016. The network is overseen by Local Governments for Sustainability, a UNFCCC-accredited organization headquartered in Bonn, Germany that connects regional governments from over 125 countries, including Pingtung and 11 other member cities and counties in Taiwan.

As a major advocate of green energy expansion, Pingtung’s magistrate has long worked to promote legislation, including the Renewable Energy Development Act promulgated in 2009 during his decadelong tenure as a lawmaker. Pan now calls for further revisions to laws like the Electricity Act to pave the way for market liberalization that will ensure a favorable business environment for Taiwan’s emerging green energy sector. “Legal frameworks at local and national levels are essential to achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said. “Pingtung is doing its part in the southern region of the country.”

Taiwan’s own version of the SDGs, passed in 2018 by the Executive Yuan’s National Council for Sustainable Development, an interministerial organization headed by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), comprises 18 goals and 143 specific targets, according to the EPA’s Chang. “This work requires all hands on deck, and excluding Taiwan for political reasons is both unfair and runs counter to the UNFCCC spirit of global cooperation,” he said. “As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is ready, willing and able to make effective contributions.”

Write to Pat Gao at cjkao@mofa.gov.tw