Taiwan is committed to working with the U.S. under the International Environmental Partnership and looks forward to expanded collaboration on natural gas supply and nuclear waste management, Environmental Protection Administration Minister Lee Ying-yuan said Sept. 20 in Washington.
Natural gas plays a key role in government efforts to reduce air pollution in Taiwan and the U.S. is shaping up as a major potential supplier, Lee said. The U.S. is also Taiwan’s main source of nuclear fuel and it is hoped the two sides can work together on addressing related waste management issues, he added.
Lee made the remarks during a meeting with Scott Pruitt, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, following the signing the day before by Taiwan and the U.S. of a June 2023 extension to the bilateral agreement on environmental protection technical cooperation.
First concluded in 1993, the pact serves as a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge, as well as designing and implementing major projects aimed at making communities and ecosystems diverse, economically productive and sustainable.
According to Lee, government initiatives aimed at promoting the circular economy are beginning to pay dividends for Taiwan. One area in which great progress has been made is extracting precious metals from used handsets, he said, adding that such innovative approaches to e-waste management spur economic activity, conserve resources and help protect the environment.
In response, Pruitt said it is important for the U.S. to continue engaging with partners like Taiwan in addressing environmental issues on a regional and global level. He also praised the EPA minister for Taiwan’s leadership in improving air quality, mercury monitoring and e-waste management.
Lee’s release of Taiwan’s Voluntary National Review of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals Sept. 15 in New York is another example of Taiwan’s commitment in this regard, Pruitt added.
The minister is the first Cabinet member to visit Washington after President Donald J. Trump took office in January. During his time in town, Lee delivered a keynote address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Taiwan’s environmental leadership and announced two new IEP initiatives on children’s health and air quality protection.
IEP is a network of international experts striving to strengthen capacity for addressing environmental challenges. Since its inking in 2014, Taiwan and the U.S. have teamed up with more than 30 countries and territories on an array of research and technical projects, according to the EPA. (SFC-E)
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