President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of September 16 with Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the founder and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). During the meeting, the president explained the policies and measures adopted by the ROC in response to global climate change, as well as achievements associated with the government's promotion of energy conservation and carbon reduction.
In remarks, the president stated that Professor Schellnhuber founded the PIK in 1992, and has subsequently served as the organization's director. He is also a long-standing member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the UN (IPCC). In 2007 he also served as Germany's chief government advisor on climate and related issues, and is currently a member of the Earth League. These accomplishments all highlight Professor Schellnhuber's prestigious reputation in, and recognition by, the international scientific community, the president said.
President Ma also mentioned that this is Professor Schellnhuber's first visit to the ROC. In addition to participating in an international seminar held by Academia Sinica on September 17 entitled "Towards a Zero Carbon Future: A Call for Climate Change Actions," Professor Schellnhuber will tour Academia Sinica's Research Center for Environmental Changes and the National Applied Research Laboratories under the Ministry of Science and Technology. He will also interact with government officials, experts and scholars, with all parties sharing their experiences and knowledge. The president hopes that Professor Schellnhuber on this visit will see the determination, and understand the viewpoints, of the ROC's public and private sectors with regard to reducing the output of greenhouse gases.
Discussing the work carried out by the government in response to global climate change, the president stated that climate change is a crucial topic, impacting the environment in which human beings must live. However, as the ROC is not a member of the United Nations, it has not been able to participate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or take part in formal negotiation sessions of the UNFCCC's Conference of the Parties (COP). At present, the ROC can only attend COP activities as a non-government organization observer under the name of the Industrial Technology Research Institute. Nonetheless, the ROC has pledged to the international community that by 2020, it will roll back greenhouse gas emissions to 2005 levels, and by 2025 to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels. "We are working together with the rest of the world to reduce carbon emissions," the president said. The joint efforts of the government and the public have also enabled Taiwan to reduce energy intensity by an average of 2.46% annually, while its per capita carbon emissions have dropped from 18th in the world to 21st, a significant improvement in energy efficiency.
President Ma mentioned that the ROC has for many years worked to sign bilateral agreements and engage in multilateral cooperation in an effort to respond to the policies advocated by the UNFCCC. For instance, in order to conform to the 2015 Paris Agreement that will be reached under the UNFCCC at the end of this year, the ROC has also drafted its "Intended Nationally Determined Contribution" in response to the Lima Call for Climate Action issued in Peru last year. This further demonstrates the ROC's determination to continue to participate in the UNFCCC process, he said.
The president stated that the legislature on June 15 of this year formally passed the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Management Act, thus providing a clear legal basis for the reduction of greenhouse gases and management thereof in the ROC. This is a major step forward, the president remarked, adding that the ROC's stated goals in reducing carbon emissions will be enshrined in law. Moreover, by the year 2050, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced to less than half of the level seen in 2005, thus responding to the call by the UNFCCC for parties to the convention to draw up pledges for carbon reduction, said the president.