It's 29?C outside in Taipei, and Yeh Huey-ching (葉惠青), director-general of the Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs is dressed casually as he walks into his office. It's a regular day at the office, but he wears a half-sleeve shirt with no tie.
The way Yeh -- as well as his colleagues -- are dressed is part of the government's move to reduce energy use. It is beginning by encouraging the bureaucratic rank-and-file to dress casually through the hot, sweltering summer.
"We were told not to wear ties during the workday unless we have important guests to meet," said Huang Tsung-chi (
This casual dress practice is part of the government's efforts to educate people to become less dependant on air conditioners, and so reduce energy consumption, a key issue Yeh and Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (
The two-day conference is aimed at bringing together the government and the private sector to map out a national energy strategy in light of the implementation of the Kyoto global warming protocol, which came into effect in February, Ho said at a press conference on Saturday.
Six main themes will be discussed during the meeting this year, including ways to adjust the country's energy structure and promote the development of renewable energy, as well as measures to set standards for greenhouse gas emissions and establish quotas for local industries.
"Although Taiwan is not a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, we feel it is necessary for us to keep in line with the international trend toward environmental protection as a citizen of the global community," Ho said.
In response to the protocol, Taiwan plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by a total of 170 million tonnes by 2025, by enhancing consumption of liquefied-natural-gas (LNG), the use of renewable energy and by improving energy efficiency among various sectors, she said.
The Kyoto treaty is designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, in addition to emissions of five other gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and sulphur hexafluoride.
In Taiwan, carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels accounts for 74 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. Worldwide, the nation ranks as the 22nd largest emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 1 percent of annual industrial emissions worldwide, according to the ministry's data.
"Taiwan's carbon dioxide emissions totaled 270 million tonnes last year and the number is still growing," Ho said. "The figure will grow to 530 million tonnes over the next two decades, if we did nothing at all."
The growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions is about 6 percent a year on average in Taiwan, compared to only 1 percent for countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Ho said.
The plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions may first be applied to the power-generation sector, which mainly uses coal, instead of fuel oil or LNG, according to Ho.
LNG produces about one-third to one-half less greenhouse gases per unit of electricity than a coal-fired power station, the ministry estimates.
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