Isramart : Taiwan states case for UNFCCC participation

Isramart news:
Taiwan’s participation in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change would represent a win-win outcome for the organization and the island’s 23 million people, according to Alice Wang, deputy minister for the Government Information Office.

“We urge the UNFCCC to heed the needs of our people, recognize the contributions we can make, and find the appropriate means to accept our participation as early as possible,” Wang said during a GIO-organized Taiwan-Denmark video conference on Taiwan’s UNFCCC involvement Nov. 27.

“Taiwan is especially vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, rising temperatures, unpredictable storms and loss of biodiversity,” she said. “Climate change is an issue that cannot be ignored and must be confronted swiftly.”

Anne Grete Holmsgaard, member of the Danish parliament and opposition spokeswoman for climate and energy, said it is of great importance for Taiwan to participate in the UNFCCC. “We hope the country can repeat its success in attaining observer status in the World Health Organization’s governing body and look forward to seeing the Taiwan delegation in Copenhagen.”

Stephen Shu-hung Shen, minister of the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, said Taiwan planned to use the World Health Assembly model to secure participation in the UNFCCC.”

“As a member of the global village, the ROC government has adopted strong measures to fight climate change,” he said. “Taiwan’s participation in the UNFCCC would help the public and private sectors further upgrade efforts to manage this pressing environmental challenge.”

Hsu Fang-min, deputy director of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., said Taiwan’s UNFCCC participation would help his firm reduce its global carbon footprint and cement its position as the world’s top chip-maker.

“Our firm is taking the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and already exceeding benchmarks set in Japan and South Korea,” Hsu said “Being involved in the UNFCCC will allow the company to share its landmark green building standards with the world.”

TSMC initiated a green building program in 2006 to strengthen environmental protection and energy conservation. The program covers design and construction of new fabs, enhancement of existing fabs, internal training, and encouraging subcontractors to gain green building certification.

According to Robert Yang, a senior advisor with Industrial Technology Research Institute—the largest nonprofit R&D organization in Taiwan—UNFCCC involvement is key to combating the effects of climate change and sharing Taiwan’s technical expertise with the world.

“Of course, we can rely on ourselves for assistance in dealing with natural disasters such as Typhoon Morakot, but we need to be able to work with the international community to garner their support, like all other economies of the world. In this way, we can also share our experiences with developing and developed nations.”

Yang said Taiwan has always been enlightened when it came to enacting environmental laws and can make a valuable contribution to the global targets for mitigating climate change and advancing clean technology. “We stand ready to play very useful role in fighting climate change.”