Taiwan would continue to pursue its green power policies, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, assuring corporations that the nation would maximize its green energy output, and ensure stable power and a resilient energy grid.
Lai made the comments at the sixth meeting of the National Climate Change Response Committee.
Climate change management and the energy transition are not independent of national development, and are a core foundation supporting the sustainable development of industry and the stability of Taiwanese society, he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The government would be responsible for establishing a stable system and environment with proper incentive mechanisms, but industries must also begin investing in technological upgrades, Lai said.
Carbon reduction would have to be implemented at the basic level for Taiwan to maintain an innovative edge in the face of change and transition, he said.
Last year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil stated that the international community must step up its collective efforts, Lai said.
In light of the challenges posed by extreme climate change and net zero targets, the government and the private sector need to do their part in ushering in the energy transition, and should work together to shoulder these responsibilities, he said.
The first step toward expediting the implementation of net zero is to ensure that such measures do not harm industries, Lai said.
To that end, the government is reviewing its version of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism so that Taiwanese industries can conform to international standards and turn these challenges into profit margins, he said.
“Net zero to save Earth” is a concept we must stick by, as represented by the committee’s third iteration of the Nationally Determined Contribution program, announced last year, he said.
The policy highlights Taiwan’s determination to contribute to global sustainable transition, Lai said.
The first committee meeting of this year seeks to review the efforts of ministries and their “collaboration,” Lai said, adding that low-carbon emissions, a shift in housing and transportation methods, and green agriculture are signs that Taiwanese are working together to reduce carbon emissions.
Lai also cited the six innovative systems implemented by the government, of which the community sector plays a key role in the project and ensures that government policy reaches the public.
When technology helps resolve daily life issues and becomes tools that benefit not only oneself, but also others, it would serve as a foundation for continuing policies for sustainable development, he said.
There is no end-goal for the “climate race,” and climate management is the most tangible course of action one could pursue to ensure the security and resilience of the nation and its future, Lai said.
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