Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) and civic groups yesterday introduced a draft act on climate change, urging the government to work with like-minded partners to advance climate action.
Such legislation is key to improving the nation’s global participation as well as local governance, Hung told a news conference in Taipei.
The goal is for the proposed rules to replace the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act (溫室氣體減量及管理法), which has proven to be incapable of curbing greenhouse gas emissions since its implementation in 2015, he said.
Photo courtesy of Hung Sun-han’s office
If promulgated, the bill would push the government to pledge to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, instead of just halving the 2005 level as stipulated in the act.
It says that the government should impose a “carbon levy” and promote incentives for reducing carbon emissions.
The government should also establish a board at the Executive Yuan chaired by the premier that would oversee climate action at government agencies, the proposal says.
Record-high temperatures in Taiwan in July and water shortages that have affected agricultural irrigation highlight the urgency of a policy program that better addresses extreme weather events, Taiwan Environment and Planning Association chairman Chao Chia-wei (趙家緯) said.
The draft, which has a chapter on adaptation to climate change, promotes bottom-up and community-based action and policymaking grounded on scientific evidence, while clarifying the responsibilities of government agencies, Chao said.
The bill is not merely for environmental protection, but also to stimulate economic growth, Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan deputy executive director Tsai Chung-yueh (蔡中岳) said.
The EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism would soon come into force and US president-elect Joe Biden is likely to follow suit, Tsai said, urging the government to join the trend, especially as the nation is blocked from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
A carbon levy could assist with industrial transformation and aid people affected by the transformation, Tsai said.
Four other DPP lawmakers — Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧), Saidhai Tahovecahe, Chuang Ching-cheng (莊競程) and Lai Pin-yu (賴品妤) — who attended a news conference with Hung last month — have expressed support for the cause, Hung said, adding that he would rally more support from other lawmakers to arrange a review for the bill soon.
Hung echoed President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) appeal for Taiwan to join the UN’s COP26 convention to be hosted by the UK in November next year.
Tsai Ing-wen, at a meeting with British Representative to Taiwan Catherine Nettleton at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Tuesday, expressed hope that the UK would support Taiwan’s bid to join the COP26.
Taiwan should seek to join as a signatory party, instead of just sending non-governmental organization representatives as it has done previously, Hung said.
The goal is politically challenging, but the government should let the world know that “Taiwan can help” rings true not just in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, but in climate action as well, he said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS