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PREMIER Wu Den-yih has said Taiwan would like to be part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), so that it could share its expertise and experience in reducing carbon footprint.
Speaking at the 2010 International Conference on Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) in Taiwan on Sept. 7, Premier Wu said: “This will also allow Taiwan to share in the major achievements of advanced nations in this field.”
The premier remarked that Taiwan has a strong case for participating in UNFCCC, since a 2005 World Bank publication — Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis — explicitly lists Taiwan as one member of the international community with the highest risk of disaster from typhoons, earthquakes and flooding.
Premier Wu stated, “Taiwan is cutting energy consumption and carbon emissions both to protect its ecology and environment and to fulfill its obligations as a member of the international community.”
According to Wu, saving energy and reducing carbon emissions is a key national policy that includes advocating and rewarding development of renewable energy. In the premier’s words, “We must stay focused on the big picture, but start with small steps.”
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, he pointed out, has set up a task force to convey the energy conservation and carbon reduction message to the entire public and build consensus.
An energy conservation and carbon reduction service team has also been formed to provide technical ideas and assist substantive actions to help all industries, businesses, households, government agencies, schools, and army units — the entire populacec — undertake this task.”
Premier Wu pointed out that for a long time Taiwan was the recipient of care and assistance in many areas from the United Nations and many advanced nations. As a result, it has accumulated a rich experience in environmental protection which it would like to share with the international community.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) stated that in response to the regulations of the Copenhagen Accord, it has formulated pragmatic policies along with relevant measures to reduce the island’s carbon footprint.
To enable various sectors in Taiwan to cope with the emerging trends in international climate talks, it held a two-day conference on Sept. 7-8 at the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center under the title, “2010 International Conference on Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions in Taiwan.”
Experts from major international research institutions and organizations were invited, including Dr. Mostafa K. Tolba, former executive director of United Nations Environment Program. Other participants were: Dr. Stephen O. Andersen, co-chair of the Montreal Protocol Technology and Economic Assessment Panel; and Dr. Robert K. Dixon, leader of the Climate Change and Chemicals Team of the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility.
In a related development, Premier Wu Den-yih has vowed to plant trees on 60,000 hectares of Taiwan’s flatland within eight years.
“Forestation cannot be delayed as some 25,000 hectares of mountain forests were destroyed after Typhoon Morakot in early August of last year,” he observed.
The premier also underlined the need to adopt criteria laid down by UNFCCC and stressed that it was necessary to identify the type of trees best suited to Taiwan under its climatic conditions.
The relevant government agencies should also research solutions that will be most conducive to soil conservation, benefit economic growth and enhance the public wellbeing, he added.
Premier Wu declared that the government will not tolerate illegal harvesting, logging or squatting on woodlands in Taiwan. “The Council of Agriculture and the Forestry Bureau should beef up investigations to nab both petty and large-scale illegal loggers to fully accomplish preservation and protection of national land,” he added.