Dear Editor,

As we have witnessed recently, six consecutive storms with catastrophic impacts hit the Philippines in rapid succession, from severe tropical storm “Kristine” in October to super typhoon “Pepito” in November.

In between were four other tropical cyclones, “Leon," “Marce,” “Nika,” and “Ofel.” The first five typhoons caused at least 160 deaths, displaced over nine million people, affected more than 10 million individuals, and caused extensive damage to farmland and infrastructure.

The impacts of climate change and extreme weather are the greatest challenges facing human society today.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived. The world is facing the imminent threat of climate collapse.

As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan continues to actively engage the public and private sectors and work with its diplomatic allies and other like-minded countries to promote concrete climate action.

1. Established the National Climate Change Committee: On 19 June 2024, President Lai Ching-te announced the formation of the National Climate Change Committee. The group held its first meeting on 8 August. Moving forward, it will focus on the two main consensus areas of actively developing renewable energy and establishing a shared and credible information platform. Based on this framework, the committee will engage public and private resources and capabilities to formulate concrete strategies for Taiwan to address the climate crisis.

2. Enhanced national climate change adaptation capacity: Last July, the Ministry of Environment and the National Science and Technology Council released Taiwan’s first National Climate Change Science Report which assessed and analyzed the specific threats posed by climate change to environmental protection, agricultural development, and public health. The report established a solid scientific foundation for Taiwan’s future climate adaptation policies.

3. Strengthened legal frameworks: Following the passage of the Climate Change Response Act last year, the Ministry of Environment promulgated three associated measures on 29 August — Regulations Governing the Collection of Carbon Fees, Regulations for Administration of Voluntary Reduction Plans, and Designated Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals for Entities Subject to Carbon Fees. This officially marked Taiwan’s entry into the emissions pricing era. The carbon fee system actively encourages businesses to transition to low-carbon operations, making it a new driver of Taiwan’s green growth.

4. Deepened carbon credit cooperation with diplomatic allies: To implement international cooperation on carbon-reduction mechanisms, as outlined in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, Taiwan will step up cooperation with its diplomatic allies on carbon credit issues. This aligns with Taiwan’s policy of integrated diplomacy and its efforts to move from consolidating diplomatic alliances to achieving co-prosperity with allies. Indeed, Taiwan is joining forces with its allies to address the opportunities and challenges of transitioning to net zero by 2050.

5. Collaborated with international partners to combat climate change: This year, Taiwan has held numerous workshops on topics such as climate adaptation, energy transition, green finance, and the circular economy with the United States, Japan, Australia, and other like-minded partners under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework. Taiwan’s willingness to collaborate with like-minded partners on global climate change governance was recognized in a resolution passed by the 52nd Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians Union (APPU), which supported Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Mechanisms to address climate change such as the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement should not discriminate against Taiwan due to political reasons. Taiwan has never shirked its responsibilities. Like other countries, it should be given equal opportunities to participate in the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement. The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the UNFCCC is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. We urge our Filipino friends to support Taiwan’s professional, pragmatic, and constructive participation in UNFCCC mechanism and allow Taiwan to work with the international community to contribute to a net-zero world.

Wallace Minn-Gan Chow

Representative

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines