The Ministry of Environment yesterday announced an updated goal of a 28 percent, plus or minus 2 percent, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with the 2005 baseline.
The ministry reviewed the national carbon reduction goals under President William Lai’s (賴清德) instructions and proposed the third phase of reduction goals in accordance with the Climate Change Response Act (氣候變遷因應法).
The proposal aims for a more ambitious goal than the one set out in “Taiwan’s Pathway to Net Zero Emissions in 2050” by the National Development Council in 2022, which was 24 percent, plus or minus-1 percent.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
The ministry also proposed a periodic goal of decreasing the electricity carbon emission factor by about 35 percent to 0.319kg carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour by 2030, as well as other periodic regulatory goals for six major sectors — energy, manufacturing, businesses and residences, transportation, agriculture and environment.
Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) yesterday said that he is confident of achieving the reduction goal of 26 percent to 30 percent by 2030.
The tolerable range was raised to plus or minus 2 percent in light of uncertainties related to the global political and economic situation, growing concerns about climate issues, latest developments in climate technology, increased power demand from the domestic artificial intelligence industry, and the impact of an amendment to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) on the climate budget, he said.
Updated carbon reduction goals by 2032 and 2035 would be proposed at the third meeting of the Presidential Office’s National Climate Change Committee on Jan. 23, Peng said.
In related news, the ministry yesterday said that more businesses would be listed for carbon footprint verification.
About 500 companies, including department stores, convenience stores, medical centers, and railway and metro service providers would be required to verify and report their greenhouse gas emissions for the fiscal year 2025 by the end of April 2026, the ministry said.
So far they are not required to commission an independent third party to conduct the verification, nor are they required to pay a carbon fee, the ministry said.
Taiwan’s projected carbon reduction amount would be 34 percent to 36 percent by 2030 from a peak value of 279.74 megatonnes in 2007, second only to Japan’s 41 percent, while South Korea’s projected reduction would be 14 percent, the ministry said.
China would increase carbon emissions by 57 percent by 2030, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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