The government should step up its efforts to reduce carbon and adapt to climate developments to enhance climate justice and resilience in Taiwan, environmental activists said at a rally in Taipei yesterday.
The groups estimated that more than 1,000 people attended the March for Climate, which had a band playing as people issued a call for “resilience to protect the Earth.”
Mom Loves Taiwan Association secretary-general Huang Pin-han (黃品涵) said that more than 100 civic groups took part in the event, with their main demands being to promote sustainable development, intergenerational justice, climate democracy, national security and respect for diversity.
Photo: Huang Yi-ching, Taipei Times
Citing UN data, Taiwan Climate Action Network Research Center director Chao Chia-wei (趙家緯) said that global carbon reduction would fall short of Paris Agreement targets, as reduction pledges collectively amount to only 17 percent of carbon cut by 2035 compared with the 2019 baseline year.
The government should set a more ambitious target by shifting from 38 percent to 52 percent of carbon cut by 2035, otherwise Taiwan might not achieve net zero emissions by 2050, Chao said.
Environmental Rights Foundation executive director Tu Yu-wen (涂又文) said climate issues are intertwined with the right to life, so climate action and policies should not be oriented around economic development.
Photo: CNA
Voices from minorities and local communities should be heard and considered, Tu said, calling on the government to uphold procedural justice to encourage public participation in local climate issues.
Tsai Ming-chieh (蔡明潔), counselor of Wanders Lodge — a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting homeless people — said she and her coworkers marched mainly to be a voice for the homeless, many of whom work as sign holders or leaflet distributors on Taiwan’s streets.
“We hope to raise awareness that economically disadvantaged groups such as homeless people are bearing the brunt of climate change,” Tsai said.
Homeless people are usually outdoors all day, but they dare not rest in the shade on hot days with their employers watching, she said, adding that they often face heatstroke and exhaustion.
Given the tough, physical nature of their work, they tend to use plastic water bottles rather than their own reusable bottles, as plastic bottles are lighter, she said, adding that even the extra cost of buying their own bottle cuts into their daily wage of NT$800.
Mandatory heat-related leave might deprive them of income, so the government should require employers to provide them with cooling devices and drinking water, she added.
Former Central Weather Administration director-general Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) said that climate change is accelerating faster than expected, and many scientists say that global warming is unlikely to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial times, despite the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The ocean can stabilize the climate and warms more slowly than air, but ocean temperatures are rising and would be difficult to lower, Cheng said.
“Climate change affects everyone differently,” he said, adding that the public should respect different values and perspectives when they debate climate issues.
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