The Taiwan Forestry Research Institute on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange (TCX) on promoting forest carbon sink programs and training talent in the field.
Natural carbon sinks are one of the key solutions to achieving net zero goals globally and align with the Ministry of Agriculture’s pledge to reach its net zero target by 2040 — 10 years earlier than the national target, the institute said.
Taiwan has 2.2 million hectares of forests, which could be designated as carbon sinks that companies could use in their carbon reduction programs, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange
To help businesses boost their competitiveness in sustainable development and addressing climate challenges, the institute would collaborate with TCX to launch a forest carbon sink training program to nurture more domestic talent, the institute said.
TCX chairman Sherman Lin (林修銘) said the institute is an expert in the management and methodology of forest carbon sinks, and has long been researching how to quantify, monitor and verify such systems.
The collaboration between TCX and the institute is an important step toward integrating the research, policies and markets of carbon sinks, he added.
The training program would develop more local talent who could assist businesses in applying for evaluations of carbon sinks and obtaining carbon credits, as well as incorporating nature values into their sustainability disclosure reports, Lin said.
Natural carbon sinks are widely considered to be the most promising and resilient climate solution to reach net zero, he added.
International Union for Conservation of Nature data showed that natural solutions could contribute to more than one-third of global emission offsets by 2030 and create more than US$170 billion in ecological benefits, Lin said.
Many global industrial powerhouses have already deployed resources to compete for natural carbon sinks, he said.
Microsoft this year signed an agreement on nearly 10 million tonnes of natural carbon sinks, while Apple has invested more than US$100 million in carbon sink projects in Latin America, Lin said.
The Symbiosis Coalition — formed by Google, Meta and other companies — has also pledged to purchase 20 million tonnes of nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030, he said.
Natural carbon sinks have become a net zero strategy for many global companies, Lin said, adding that Taiwanese companies must promptly take action given that they are part of the global supply chain.
In other news, Greenpeace East Asia on Wednesday called on artificial intelligence (AI) manufacturers to achieve 100 percent renewable energy use in their operations and across their supply chains by 2030.
AI giants’ supply chains accounted for most of their carbon emissions last year: 84.37 percent for Nvidia, 82.4 percent for Qualcomm, 80.44 percent for Broadcom and 97.52 percent for Advanced Micro Devices, it said in a report.
Carbon emissions from Nvidia’s supply chain rose from 3.51 million tonnes in 2022 to 6.91 million tonnes last year and were highly concentrated in East Asia, the report said.
Nvidia has not set any renewable energy targets for its supply chain, while Qualcomm and Broadcom have yet to establish targets for their operations and supply chains, it said.
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