Taiwan’s cap and trade system, which the Ministry of Environment expects to be launched in four years, would start with a pilot program that involves companies with a good record in decarbonization, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said on Thursday.
Peng, who had just returned from a trip to Europe, said he expected Taiwan to have its own cap and trade system in four years.
Under a cap and trade system, the sectors involved have a cap on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and those that exceed the limit set by authorities have to trade “emission allowances” with others that fall under the limit.
Photo: CNA
The EU has such a system, called an Emissions Trading System (ETS), while Taiwan has a carbon pricing system that directly applies fees for exceeding set GHG emission levels.
Peng said the EU is planning to implement an extended version of its system by 2027, which would be called the ETS2 and would cover 85 percent of its emissions.
The ETS covers the power production and energy-intensive industries, as well as the aviation and maritime shipping sectors.
The ETS2 would extend to emissions from fuel combustion in buildings, road transportation and smaller industries, Peng said.
When Taiwan’s cap and trade system first takes effect, it would not be as extensive as the ETS2, he said.
Rather, it would follow the Japan model, with about 500 companies involved in the trial stage, and it would start with a pilot program for those that have made good progress in decarbonization, Peng said.
The government plans to assign personnel from the ministry to the EU to participate in discussions on environmental issues there, including the Global Plastic Treaty, management of PFAS chemical and the circular economy, Peng said.
Stationed in Brussels, these ministry personnel would attend working meetings on the carbon border adjustment mechanism, which would impose carbon tariffs from 2026 on products imported from non-EU countries, Peng said.
If all goes according to plan, there is also a chance that ministry personnel would be assigned to other parts of the world to help the ministry build long-term cooperative ties with those areas on environmental efforts, he said.
These include the US’ Clean Competition Act and Japan’s Green Transformation policy, which are geared toward decarbonization, he said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS