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n Oct. 19, The Jakarta Post said in an editorial “Good climate governance” that the House of Representative of Indonesia would ratify the Paris Agreement. This is a significant step of Indonesia as well as the international community on the fight against global warming. Another exciting news is the Kigali deal on reducing the emission of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), one of the powerful greenhouse gases. These all indicate the world is getting more serious on dealing with global warming.

The commitment of Taiwan government, although until today cannot participate as a full member in the UNFCCC, in the fight against global warming has never ceased. The government has been taking steadfast steps and real actions to fight global warming for a long time. The Taiwanese government already enacted the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act in July 2015, setting a long-term target to reduce emissions by at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2050. In addition, Taiwan is among only a few countries in the world that have written into law a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In her inaugural address this May President Tsai Ing-Wen made it clear that Taiwan would not be absent from the global efforts to mitigate climate change and that her government would regularly review goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

Minister Ying-Yuan Lee of the Environmental Protection Administration of Taiwan recently stated in an article that the government sets periodic five-year regulatory goals to help enhance climate-change-response capacity building and promote efficient management in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across government agencies. This approach is in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement which encourages all countries to strengthen their determination to reduce emissions with the aim to achieve the long-term goal by the year 2050.

Moreover, the Taiwanese government also realizes the need to further increase energy efficiency and promote energy conservation as well as diversify energy supply by tapping into renewable energies, such as solar, wind, biogas production using pig farm waste. We anticipate that by 2025, 20 percent of our energy will come from renewable energy. We have also established the Office of Energy and Carbon Reduction to plan overall national energy policy and promote conversion to newer forms of energy as well as GHG reduction.

Climate change is a global issue that transcends national boundaries. The actions Taiwanese government takes could have profound impacts on the lives of future generations. Climate change requires not only national but global solutions. That is why no government can do this alone.

Hence, we sincerely urge the international community to recognize and support Taiwan’s determination to gain meaningful participation in the UNFCCC and become part of the global climate network. We are willing to share our environmental protection experiences and contribute to international efforts. Together with friendly nations, we will join hands to safeguard a sustainable earth.

Liang-Jen Chang
Representative
Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Indonesia