The government is implementing an action plan to help Taiwan adapt to climate change, a project that is expected to cost more than NT$400 billion (US$12.31 billion) from 2023 to next year, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that the government would continue its push to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Lai made the remarks during his opening speech at a meeting with representatives from several environmental groups at the Presidential Office yesterday.
Climate change poses one of the most severe challenges of the 21st century, affecting not only global industries and livelihoods, but also national security and international stability, Lai said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
It was for this reason that he established the National Climate Change Committee upon his inauguration, Lai added.
The committee has proposed a flexible, give-or-take 2 percent clause on its goals to reduce annual carbon emissions by 32 percent in 2032 and 38 percent by 2035 respectively, he said, adding that the flexibility is designed to help Taiwan stay on track to meet its long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
While net zero remains the ultimate objective, the government would need to ensure stable power by enacting a “second energy transition” project, he said.
The project calls for greater energy conservation, increased use of renewables and further development of excess energy storage, he added.
The administration is also implementing an action plan aimed at helping Taiwan adjust to evolving climate patterns, a project that is expected to cost more than NT$400 billion from 2023 to next year, he said.
Lai’s opening remarks were followed by a closed-door meeting that lasted about three hours.
Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association secretary-general Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) told reporters after the meeting that Lai called for environmental groups to support increased energy imports from the US, as increasing purchases of US natural gas and oil would be critical, as Taiwan seeks to avoid US tariffs.
Taiwan was set to face a 32 percent import tariff under new US trade measures. In response, Lai pledged to pursue a zero-tariff agreement with the US, vowing to increase purchases from and investments in the country, as he seeks to head off US President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging import tariffs, most of which are on hold.
“Increasing purchases from the US, including natural gas, oil and other essential national energy sources, is not only the next focus of the tariff negotiations between Taiwan and the US, but also an important part of Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen its energy autonomy and resilience,” the Presidential Office cited Lai as saying.
Wang expressed concern that the government’s plans to purchase more liquefied natural gas (LNG) could lead to a proliferation of LNG terminals in Taiwan and increased carbon emissions.
Wang also criticized the Ministry of National Defense for failing to provide a thorough assessment on whether a proposed fourth LNG terminal could pose a national security risk and urged the Presidential Office to offer a clear explanation.
On the topic of nuclear energy, Lai reaffirmed to environmental groups that the government’s stance on nuclear power remained unchanged, with safety and securing societal consensus required before any policy change.
Lai said that any change to the government’s nuclear policy — which, since former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration — has aimed to gradually phase out nuclear power, must meet “three prerequisites.”
Those are nuclear safety, achieving proper nuclear waste management and reaching a social consensus on the issue, he said.
The government “maintains an open attitude toward new and advanced nuclear technologies,” as it works to provide a stable energy supply and meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2050, he said.
Taiwan Environmental Protection Union chairman Shieh Jyh-Cherng (謝志誠) commended Lai’s comments, calling them timely as opposition parties seek to alter the nuclear policy through law revisions.
Additional reporting by Reuters
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
RSS