Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Wei Kuo-yen (魏國彥) yesterday elaborated on Taiwan’s planned contribution to greenhouse gas emission reduction ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris.
The Executive Yuan in September proposed an intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) that aims to achieve a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, which is equivalent to a 20 percent reduction from the 2005 level, Wei told a news conference in Taipei.
The INDC is based on the nation’s active nuclear power plants, maximizing the capacity of natural gas-fired power plants and increasing the share of renewable energy to account for 14 percent of the nation’s gross electricity production by 2030, Wei said.
Carbon emission levels reached a high of 256 million tonnes in 2007 and have since remained below that level, suggesting that the nation’s reduction measures have been effective, Wei said, adding that the government is aiming to reduce emissions to 214 million tonnes by 2030 and 134 million tonnes by 2050.
Compared with the 37 percent reduction goal set by South Korea, Taiwan’s INDC marks its determination to fight global warming, despite only contributing about 0.55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, as INDCs proposed by most nations are not sufficient to curb global warming, Wei added.
“The 50 percent goal is not for show. It is viable,” he said.
Following the promulgation in June of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act (溫室氣體減量法), the EPA is preparing for the establishment of a domestic carbon market and to join international carbon emissions trading by completing relevant infrastructures in the next five years, Wei said.
The EPA has designated six greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbon, sulfur hexafluoride and carbon tetrafluoride — as pollutants whose emissions must be regulated, he added.
Saying that Taiwan is neither a member of the UN nor a signatory of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Wei added that the nation relies on its diplomatic allies to attain its observer status at COP meetings.
Taiwan’s delegation at the COP 21 is to consist of more than 50 members from the government, think tanks and non-governmental organizations.
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