Taiwan to update carbon reduction goals through 2032

Taipei, Oct. 24 (CNA) Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) said Thursday that Taiwan's government was aiming to update its carbon reduction targets from the period leading up to 2032 to reflect more ambitious net-zero goals.

Currently, the government is evaluating the existing carbon reduction plans and their implementation, Peng said as members of the National Climate Change Committee convened at the Presidential Office for the second time.

It is hoped that the government will finalize a "flagship program," including new goals in the years leading up to 2032 and beyond, as well as updated measures to reduce carbon emissions with "greater ambition," Peng said in his presentation before the committee entered into closed-door discussions.

The country's current goal is to reduce emissions by 2030 by 23 percent to 25 percent compared with 2005.

Peng said although Taiwan was on the right track, the new goals would "make the figures look better," provided the yet-to-be-announced "flagship program" was well implemented.

Peng's comments, however, appeared to be a departure from those he made in an interview in August, when he acknowledged Taiwan only managed to reduce carbon emissions by 1.8 percent in 2022 compared to the 2005 level and that reaching the 2030 goal would "in reality be hard."

During his presentation, the minister did not provide details on what the "flagship program" would entail but noted that it would focus on developing more green energy sources, charging carbon fees, and saving energy.

Earlier this month, a committee established by the government set Taiwan's carbon fee rates, which will take effect starting next year and apply initially only to companies emitting more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon a year.

Reducing carbon emissions is a key component of the country's net-zero efforts, aimed at achieving the goal of balancing the amount of greenhouse gases produced with the amount removed by 2050.

Speaking before Peng's presentation, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) underscored the need to double down efforts to reduce Taiwan's carbon emissions and catch up with global standards.

"Taiwan plays an important role in global technology supply chains," the president said, adding that the country must show "greater ambition" in carbon reduction to make its industries more globally competitive.

Lai added that Taiwan was willing to collaborate with other countries, including China, on addressing climate change, which he described as a "major challenge" to the country's sustainable development.

As for the planned energy information platform, Peng said it was still being finalized.

However, Peng said he envisioned that it would include information regarding the energy supply and power generation of the country and even those of other countries.

The planned platform was suggested by several committee members during their previous meeting in the hope of raising the public's access to information about Taiwan's current energy supply situation.

The climate change committee is one of the three committees established under the Presidential Office in June to serve as policy advisory groups, with ideas and suggestions made during its meeting referred to different Cabinet-level agencies for further planning and implementation.

The committee presided over by Lai includes around 30 members, including government officials, scholars and representatives of businesses and civil society groups.