Taipei City Government

On December 22, the City Executive Meeting approved the proposal on greenhouse gas reduction submitted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The plan will be incorporated into the “Liveable City of Taipei Self Governance Ordinance Draft.”

According to DEP, the city will seek to reduce carbon emission by 25-percent of the emission level in 2005 by 2030 and achieve 50-percent reduction of the 2005 emission standards by 2050.

During the meeting, Mayor Ko Wen-je requested city staff to draft the “Taipei City Greenhouse Gas Control Executive Plan” by June of 2016. Inspection spots should also be determined to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan’s implementation. He vowed that Taipei will endeavor to assume the responsibility of carbon emission reduction along with other countries.

DEP pointed out that the COP21 conference under UN Framework Convention on Climate Change taking place in mid-December saw the Paris Agreement ratified by 195 countries to restrict planetary warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius, in an effort to mitigate the impact of climate change.

With urbanization leading to growth of populated areas and thus accounting for nearly 80-percent of energy consumption, cities have become important battlegrounds in the fight against global warming.

Over the years, Taipei has spared no effort on the frontline of carbon reduction actions. In 2014, the capital reduced greenhouse gas emission to 1,455 tons, reaching the target to bring emission to 2008 levels (1,640 tons) between 2016 and 2020.

The ‘Liveable City of Taipei Self Governance Ordinance Draft’ will see Taipei advance its mid-term and long-term carbon emission reduction goals, seeking to bring the amount down to 1,200 tons by 2030 and 800 tons by 2050.