As the world’s powers wrestle over the future of the planet in Glasgow, Scotland, another politically fractious issue is playing out on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit — Taiwan’s exclusion from international organizations.
Two weeks after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Taiwan to be allowed to play a greater role at the UN, a delegation from Taipei, led by Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Deputy Minister Shen Chih-hsiu (沈志修), is set to test whether countries are willing to engage with them on the sidelines of the summit.
Shen pointed to the changing atmosphere in the US and Europe’s relations with China, saying that there is an increasing likelihood that Taiwan would be allowed to attend future UN climate summits — as an observer.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK via CNA
“The climate convention emphasizes that every country should shoulder responsibility” for cutting emissions, Shen said in a telephone interview from Glasgow on Friday. “If any country is left out, it’s incomplete.”
“This isn’t fair to Taiwan, which is willing to shoulder the responsibility,” he said.
The climate conference runs until Friday.
Taiwan is not a member of the UN and is therefore unable to join other states at the summit.
Instead, Shen and his team are planning to hold events and meetings on the sidelines, as they are seeking to highlight what the nation is doing to combat climate change and engage with attendees.
Blinken’s comments were the latest US appeal for Taiwan to have “meaningful participation” in the UN system, such as the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Taiwan had previously sent delegations to global climate summits, where it was listed as a non-governmental organization under the name of the Taipei-based Industrial Technology Research Institute.
There are no plans to strongly protest Taiwan’s exclusion in Glasgow, Shen said.
“We want to be contributors, not troublemakers,” he said.
While Taiwan is unable to sign the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced that the government is exploring ways to reach the Paris agreement goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Last month, the EPA proposed revisions to enshrine the goal into law.
Taiwan’s technology manufacturers, often at the behest of their international customers, have taken a leading role in pushing the nation’s industries to adopt more environmentally friendly methods.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, became the first company in its industry to sign up to the RE100 renewable energy initiative last year, pledging to use 100 percent renewable energy and producing no indirect carbon emissions from electricity consumption by 2050.
Demand for clean energy from TSMC and other major Taiwanese companies is likely to surge over the coming years, driving a rapid expansion in capacity.
The chipmaker consumed 16,900 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy last year, TSMC’s corporate social responsibility report said, while Taiwan as a whole only generated 15,000GWh in green energy.
The energy deficit is only likely to get worse, as TSMC’s electricity consumption is likely to at least double by 2024, Bloomberg Intelligence technology analyst Charles Shum has said in a report.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS