Taiwan by 2030 aims to reduce emissions by 23 to 25 percent from 2005 levels and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the National Development Council said yesterday.
To reach the 2030 goal, the agency revealed a slew of transition plans based on 12 key strategies, including power/photovoltaics, hydrogen energy, innovative energy, carbon capture, utilization and storage, and decarbonizing the transportation sector.
The government would spend nearly NT$900 billion (US$29.3 billion) by 2030 to realize the plans, the agency said.
Photo: CNA
National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said that transitioning to net zero is an unshirkable responsibility for Taiwan, and doing so could generate enormous business opportunities.
By 2030, the push toward net zero would spur about NT$4 trillion in private investment, generate production value of NT$5.9 trillion and create 551,000 jobs, Kung said.
To encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to cut emissions, the government is studying incentive measures, including subsidies and tax breaks, he added.
Environmental Protection Administration Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) said that discussions on issues related to carbon pricing, such as emissions trading systems and carbon taxes, were under way.
Chang has called for a carbon tax that reflects the true cost of greenhouse gas emissions and does not place undue burden on consumers.
Unsatisfied with the goal, several environmental groups, including the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance and Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, yesterday in a joint statement said the government needs to take more ambitious actions to decrease emissions, adding that the 23 to 25 percent emissions reduction target is not sufficient.
The government is reviewing its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution target of reducing emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels, the base year for long-term efforts. It is also preparing updated contribution targets as required by the Paris Agreement.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in a new report said that while many countries are reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, the 193 parties under the Paris Agreement would still increase emissions by 10.6 percent by 2030, compared with 2010 levels.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft