Taiwan commits to international green initiatives

2014-11-06

Tokyo-based Asian Productivity Organization issued a declaration promoting regional collaboration on green economy and sustainable development at the third World Congress on Green Productivity Nov. 4 in Taipei City.

Signed by 20 member states, the declaration signifies Asia’s commitment to the global cause of ecological sustainability and will be submitted to the U.N. A total of 80 delegates from around the world attended the congress. APO is one of the few international organizations in which the ROC holds membership in its official name.

President Ma Ying-jeou said at the event that although Taiwan is not party to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change nor Kyoto Protocol, the government is working to ensure national standards continue complying with those set by the U.N.

“Taiwan is on track to achieve the target of reducing carbon emissions to the 2000 level by 2025, a goal announced as part of the government's sustainable energy policy guidelines in 2008 when I took office,” he said.

“Six years ago, Taiwan produced roughly 0.91 percent of world carbon emissions. This figure has since fallen to 0.84 percent, and the country’s energy efficiency improved by 2 percentage points annually over the same period.”

Taiwan has also succeeded in reducing energy intensity, or total energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product, by 2.45 percent annually during this period, with carbon emissions per unit of GDP decreasing at 3.11 percent per year, according to the president.

As a founding member of APO, Taiwan is committed to advancing the shared vision of green environment and sustainable energy. It is engaged in a wide range of regional collaborations under the APO framework and hosts the organization’s Center of Excellence in Green Productivity in Taipei.

In addition to the Nov. 4-6 congress, Taiwan staged the APO Eco-Products International Fair—the largest and longest-running green exhibition of its kind in Asia—in March.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223701&CtNode=413)