President Ma Ying-jeou said Aug. 5 that Taiwan is committed to playing an integral role in cross-border collaboration on natural disasters and emergency relief in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Global climate change is a real threat to Taiwan,” Ma said. “Taiwan’s surface temperature increased by 1.2 C in the last century as the global average rose by 0.74 C, producing a bigger impact from weather-induced calamities on the nation.”
The president made the remarks at the annual meeting of the Asian Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union Aug. 4-6 in Taipei City.
Taiwan has been active in global initiatives to address climate change, Ma said. Although not party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol, the government is determined to uphold their objectives, he added.
The president said the nation is well on its way to achieving the target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to the 2000 level by 2025, a goal announced as part of the government’s sustainable energy policy guidelines when he took office in May 2008.
Six years ago, Taiwan’s had nearly 23 million people, or less than 0.3 per cent of the global population, but accounted for roughly 1 per cent of world emissions, Ma said. This has since fallen to 0.84 per cent, and the country’s energy efficiency improved by 2.3 percent annually over the period.
The dangers posed by climate change are of especial concern to many APPU island nations. Ma said he expects the organization to further the common cause of mitigating natural hazards and reducing related damage in the region.
Taiwan is a founding member of the Tokyo-headquartered APPU, which was established in 1965. The organization serves as an exchange platform among the legislative bodies of 21 member nations, with the aim of securing regional peace, prosperity and stability.
Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng is heading Taiwan’s APPU delegation and chairing the meeting. Kiribati President Anote Tong is also scheduled to deliver an address on climate change.
Lawmakers visiting Taiwan for the event include those from six of the nation’s South Pacific diplomatic allies—Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Other attendees come from Fiji, Japan, Malaysia, Micronesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.
