Officials solicit input on environment from private citizens

This article was written by Cecilia Fanchiang and published by the Taiwan Journal on November 11, 2005. It features a series of forums recently held in Taipei, which were organized by the Environmental Protection Administration. Citizens representing different communities in Taiwan met with government officials at these forums and discussed issues related to environmental protection and conservation.

These forums served as a civil platform for communities to examine the government's environmental policies. Specifically, community representatives suggested that a bill should be drafted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto Protocol was signed by more than 150 countries in 1997. The protocol designates that by 2012, developed countries in the world have to reduce their industrial emissions by 5.2 percent of 1990 levels. The main objective of the protocol is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would eliminate toxic anthropogenic interference with the climate system.

Taiwan has no obligations to abide by the Kyoto Protocol as it is not a member of the United Nations. However, in recent years the country has attempted to shift its reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. In 1997, Taiwan's National Council for Sustainable Development began working as an advisory body for the government's environment policies. The passage of the Fundamental Environmental Protection Act in 2002 also symbolizes Taiwan's commitment to sustainable development.

Official data shows that overall greenhouse gas emissions from Taiwan rose by 70 percent between 1990 and 2000.