Taiwan has achieved meaningful participation at the recently concluded UN climate conference in Morocco, holding talks with more than 35 nations on global climate issues even though it is not a member of the international organization, an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) official said on Saturday.
Exchanges with other nations during the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Marrakesh, which concluded on Friday, were smooth and free from Beijing’s intervention, said Chien Huei-chen (簡慧貞), executive director of the EPA’s Office of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Management.
Chien said 12 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies also spoke out for the nation during the conference, in which Taiwan joined activities on the sidelines.
“We participated in the event through a ‘technical approach,’” Chien said, adding that the results were more fruitful than had been anticipated.
The talks with other nations generated concrete and sustainable measures, Chien said.
They included a joint calculation mechanism for carbon dioxide emissions that could be verified by third parties, she said.
In addition, Taiwan Power Co, CPC Corp, Taiwan and China Steel Corp have participated in more activities at this conference than in previous years, which Chien said might improve their ability to adapt to climate change.
Despite not being a UN member, Taiwan has endeavored to make substantial contributions on the international platform to help combat climate change.
Prior to the nations’s attendance at the COP22 as a non-governmental observer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the government’s stance that the battle against climate change concerns the survival of the entire human population, which is why Taiwan should not be excluded from international efforts.
The ministry said that Taipei, as an integral partner in the global community’s fight against climate change, has demonstrated its efforts and determination to join the convention through concrete actions, citing as examples the implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act (溫室氣體減量及管理法) in June last year and the publication of Taiwan’s intended nationally determined contributions in September last year, stating the nation’s aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent from 2005 levels by 2050.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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