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Taiwan to assist with EU greenhouse gas monitoring plan

Taiwan is set to become an official partner of an EU greenhouse gas monitoring program after a local university signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday with laboratories in Brussels.

The National Central University inked the MOU with German and French national laboratories in the Belgian capital, finalizing a joint project aimed at measuring greenhouse gases over the Pacific region.

The agreement paves the way for Taiwan to become a formal partner of the In-Service Aircraft for Global Observing System (IAGOS) program supported by the EU Commission, said Wang Kuo-ying (王國英), a professor in the university's atmospheric sciences department and Institute of Atmospheric Physics.

The formal partnership will also enable Taiwan to learn about greenhouse gas changes being monitored by the IAGOS program in other regions of the world, Wang said.

Taiwan's participation fills a crucial gap in the EU program, which has failed thus far to include the Pacific Ocean in its monitoring program, Wang said.

Starting later next year, the IAGOS program will install monitoring equipment on between 10 and 20 long-haul Airbus aircraft, including some operated by China Airlines (CAL), to survey the Pacific Ocean region.

CAL also signed the MOU on Monday.

Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Winston Dang (陳重信), who attended the signing ceremony in the Belgian capital, lauded the partnership, as it comes at a time when Taiwan is limited diplomatically because of China's interference.

Dang said he believes that Taiwan's active efforts to join global environmental protection initiatives will eventually earn it the recognition of the international community.

At the ceremony, representatives from national laboratories in Germany and France as well as EU officials said that the cooperation with Taiwan is significant for the EU's related research and will enhance their competitiveness.
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