TAIWAN’S EFFORTS TOWARDS MITIGATING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE SINCE 2007

TAIWAN’S EFFORTS TOWARDS MITIGATING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE SINCE 2007






Taiwan’s efforts towards mitigating global climate change

Taiwans efforts towards mitigating global climate change

Since 2007, Taiwan has provided its diplomatic allies in Africa, Latin America and the Asia Pacific with assistance in climate change mitigation and adaptation through more than 30 projects (including bilateral or multilateral cooperation projects still in progress). These cover a wide array of issues, such as the monitoring and prevention of environmental pollution, waste management, disaster prevention, forest restoration, biodiversity conservation, agricultural technology, geographic information systems, remote sensing technology, earthquake detection and solar power.


Taiwan is also a frontrunner in helping countries in East and Central Europe and Central Asia to improve energy efficiency, as well as to meet climate change challenges. Since September 2007, Taiwan has helped sponsor the Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI) put forward by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). With the funds that Taiwan and other countries have donated to the SEI, the EBRD is helping to ensure a sustainable energy supply and promote energy efficiency, so as to reduce pollution and mitigate climate change. Thus far, Taiwan has committed US$2.8 million to various SEI projects. In addition, Taiwans International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the EBRD to inject US$80 million into the EBRDs Green Energy Special Fund. This fund provides low-interest loans to 17 of the 26 countries that receive EBRD assistance to finance such green technology as LED street lights and smart meters. It is estimated that the finance provided by the TaiwanICDF and the EBRD can help reduce carbon emissions by 400,000 metric tons, with a value of US$13 million.


The TaiwanICDF is putting an increasing amount of its resources towards projects related to climate change. Between 2009 and 2010, it cooperated with UNDP/ClimSAT to implement the Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC) program and develop regional management programs in various towns in Nicaragua, such as Matagalpa. The program has helped to strengthen the capacity of local governments to respond to emergencies caused by climate change, as well as to train local personnel in using satellite images to study the impact of climate change and formulate coping strategies accordingly. From 2011 to 2012, the TACC program will be extended to other countries in Central America to assist them in processing satellite images, accessing meteorological information, mapping areas affected by climate change, capacity building, developing renewable energy on the basis of weather information and so forth.

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