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Lawmakers focus on the climate

Panelists shared policy ideas for anti-global warming efforts involving both advanced technologies and localized concerns as a two-day international forum on climate change concluded in Taipei yesterday.

The forum, titled "Asia's Future in a Hotter World," was hosted by the e-parliament non-governmental organization and participants included parliamentarians from Taiwan, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, India and Indonesia.

The e-parliament is a UK-based forum that brings together the world's democratic parliaments and congresses to exchange policy ideas.

Yesterday's forum focused on forestation as well as policy options.

The e-parliament's secretary-general, Nicholas Dunlop, told the audience that the pursuit of a world not compromised by greenhouse gases could start with each nation finding its cheapest and most stable combination of different renewable energy sources.

Regional studies on clean energy resources could also be deployed, he said.

Forming all-party groups on clean energy, educating legislators at informal hearings, initiating national academic studies and formulating legislation on taxes, subsidies and other incentives for clean-energy policies, were also suggested.

"The experts for what policies would work for your countries are yourselves," Dunlop told the delegates.

The discussion sparked several positive responses from participants, including Hong Kong Legislator Choy So-yuk (蔡素玉), who also doubles as a delegate of China's National People's Congress.

"Though the push for [environmental policies] would be hurdled, I have faith that the central government is serious in environmental protection ? what legislators need to do is find win-win situations for both the environment and the economy," she said.

In Taiwan, the path to utilizing clean energy needed to start with decreasing the use of coal-burning power plants, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said.

"Taiwan's electricity is monopolized by the Taipower company [台電], which has little interest in renewable energy," she said.

However, avid environmental activists, non-governmental organizations, interest groups, as well as legislators and governmental officials including Tien, were working collaboratively to alter the situation, she said.

One of their first priorities, Tien told the Taipei Times, was to re-submit the renewable energy act to the legislature. The act failed to receive the green light from the last legislative body.

Education was also identified as a key to solving the global conundrum of climate change.

"Educating the general public, as well as including environmental studies in the school curriculum as compulsory courses, would be absolutely necessary," said Lalhming Liana, a member of India's parliament, adding that such classes are already in the syllabus in India's schools.
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