President-elect William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that he would push forward the net zero transition, and accelerate geothermal and hydrogenic energy developments after taking office next month.
Lai made the remarks in a prerecorded video played at the opening session of the Earth Solutions 2024 Sustainable Design Action Conference held in Taipei on Earth Day yesterday.
The transition to net zero is an urgent task, and Taiwan must speed up its pace and strengthen its competitiveness in sustainable development to keep up with the global trend, Lai said.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Taiwan has laid a good foundation in the past few years and has competitive advantages, he said, adding that therefore, if the nation makes good use of its advantages in the information and communication technology industry, as well as the strength of its financial sector, it can make swift progress and establish a new international paradigm in facing the challenges of climate change.
He said he would push forward with the net zero transformation using five main strategies.
The first is to initiate a second energy transition by creating a smart and shared green energy strategy, including accelerating the development of geothermal, hydrogenic, biomass and marine energies; and maximizing the use of green energy in Taiwan while at the same time speeding up carbon reduction by implementing carbon capture and storage technologies, he said.
The second is to push the biaxial transformation of the digital and green industries, Lai said, adding that he would use technologies to boost industrial development, establish a net zero innovation and technology platform, build smart energy systems, promote green manufacturing and expand the circular economy.
He also plans to establish a green banking system, improve carbon disclosure, enhance sustainable finance, and speed up industry’s low-carbon transition through carbon pricing and market mechanisms, Lai said.
Third is to promote net zero sustainable green living, including a zero-waste, low-carbon diet, environmentally friendly green fashion, energy saving green buildings, low-carbon transportation networks and promoting buying services instead of buying products, he said, adding that communication with the public is needed to implement a low-carbon lifestyle.
Fourth is to have the government provide strong backing for the net zero transformation, including forming global information advisory groups, industrial technical service teams, setting up digital service platforms and publicizing net zero action guidelines regularly, to assist industries transition to net zero while reducing the negative impact on them, he said.
Fifth is to ensure a “just transition” to net zero, meaning that the government would not leave any industry, company or individual behind in the process of transformation, he added.
Lai said that according to a report by market research firm Kantar Taiwan, 84 percent of consumers want to lead a sustainable lifestyle, but only 27 percent are changing their behavior.
Therefore, how to design more creative and humane systems to reduce the gap between value and action, allowing people to live sustainably without paying a heavy toll in their daily lives, is something that every participant of the conference can help with, he said.
“Let’s find new ways of solving old problems, and good ways of solving new problems,” he said.
Lai, in his capacity as vice president, later yesterday joined President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office to meet with representatives of environmental groups.
Lai expressed gratitude for their contribution to environmental protection and pledged his new administration would work with them to safeguard the environment.
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