THE dangerous impact of climate change on humanity is becoming increasingly apparent and urgent, as evidenced by such phenomena as this year’s wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, and the record-high temperatures registered worldwide in July. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan has launched a series of actions this year to combat climate change.
Domestically, Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen announced the amendment and renaming of the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act” to the “Climate Change Response Act” in February, making Taiwan the 18th self-governing territory in the world to codify the 2050 net-zero emissions goal into law. Moreover, its Environmental Protection Administration was restructured into the “Ministry of Environment” to accelerate its efforts to enhance government capacity in August. The Climate Change Administration and the Resource Circulation Administration were established simultaneously to integrate the handling of environmental issues. And Taiwan officially established the Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange in August, with the aim to create incentives for businesses to reduce their carbon emissions.
Internationally, Taiwan hosted the first Pacific Climate Change Forum in Taipei in July and signed the first Joint Statement on Combating Climate Change with the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu. In response to the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and supply chain decarbonization trends, Taiwan has accelerated efforts to implement carbon pricing and carbon inventory mechanisms. Moreover, Taiwan has incorporated environmental issues into negotiations with the United States under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and with the United Kingdom for the Enhanced Trade Partnership.
The aforementioned actions demonstrate Taiwan’s continuous efforts to pragmatically seek opportunities to contribute to the international community. Climate change does not discriminate, and mechanisms to address climate change such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement should not discriminate against Taiwan due to political reasons.
In the spirit of professionalism, pragmatism and making contributions, we urge our Filipino friends to back Taiwan’s participation in the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the UNFCCC, now happening in Dubai until December 12. Support Taiwan in working with the international community toward a net-zero world.
Wallace Minn-Gan Chow
Representative
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines
