U.K. support for Taiwan’s participation in international climate change organizations is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dec. 1.
Taiwan is committed to working with like-minded countries in addressing this issue and seeking support for the nation’s meaningful engagement in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the MOFA said.
The remarks follow statements by U.K. officials affirming Taiwan’s efforts to advance climate solutions and role in tackling the global challenge.
In a Nov. 27 response to a written question by Member of Parliament Scott Mann, Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Field said the U.K. government welcomes Taiwan’s voluntary measures to fight climate change. Britain has consistently stated its support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations where it can make a valuable contribution to issues of global concern, including those relating to climate change, he added.
This stance was echoed by Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Claire Perry. In her Nov. 29 answer to a question by MP George Howarth, she said that cooperation on energy and climate change is part of the Taiwan-U.K. relationship, adding that this engagement is expected to continue on the sidelines of the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC running through Dec. 14 in Katowice, Poland.
According to the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, Taiwan’s exclusion from the UNFCCC contradicts the spirit of the organization and the Paris Agreement, an accord adopted at COP21 outlining adaptation, financing and mitigation policies for reducing greenhouse gases.
The EPA said that as a responsible stakeholder in the international community, Taiwan has voluntarily set a target of reducing emissions to 50 percent of the 2005 level by 2050. Various policies have been adopted to achieve this goal, including the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Action Plan, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Control Action Program and National Climate Change Action Guidelines, the administration added.
According to the EPA, Taiwan is ready and willing to assist other countries in crafting climate change mitigation strategies. Its capabilities in this regard are evidenced by numerous bilateral projects with diplomatic allies, including efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable power in the Marshall Islands and agricultural adaptability to climate variability in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis.
The EPA called on all parties to the UNFCCC to look beyond political considerations and support Taiwan’s professional, pragmatic and constructive participation. (SFC-E)
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