Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition — 2020 SUMMER REPORT
Climate change in Taiwan is at a turning point
Whilst the country was successfully focused on managing the COVID-19 outbreak with amazing results so far, climate change issues became a less visible concern. However, 2020 is a turning point for Taiwan climate change policies.
For two reasons :
- The Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, a two step plan to reduce carbon emission of 10% by 2025 will be entering its second phase by the end of the year. The results of the first 5 years will then be known and the action plan for the next five years will be decided.
- Tsai Ing Wen was reelected president for a new 4 years term in January and has given her new roadmap for economic growth and the protection of the economy.
Truth be told, it is not looking as good as it should. Tsai Ing Wen’s ambitions, or at least her political statements, seem to be weakening as ecology is starting to be perceived by the people as an obstacle to economic growth. And the Environmental Protection Administration is expecting the ambitions not to be met yet.
It is a truly peculiar time for Taiwan. People seem to be willing to pay more for more renewable energies. They are invited to participate in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Management Act, and a lot of them engage in the process. On the top of that, national pride is growing stronger as they proved to the world that they are a world-class example in the management of a crisis.
However, the political dialogue in the country is trying to oppose ecology and economy, and the efforts are not meeting the goals yet. We need to fight for more awareness amongst the people, and to find alternative development options to show that the nation’s development can respect its ecology.
We only have one Taiwan, as Tsai Ing Wen said 4 years ago.
What’s new in Taiwan ?
An increasing need for energy reform ? People are willing to pay for it
The Stake : Taiwan is still mainly powered by fossil fuels. As of last year, 79.2 % of the nation’s power came from fossil fuels. Only 13.4% was generated from nuclear energy, 6 % from renewables, and the remainder from pumped-storage hydroelectricity. The plan of the government is to switch to 20% of the nation’s power generated from renewable sources, 30% from coal-fired power and 50% from natural gas by 2025.
The New : The National Taiwan University (NTU) Risk Society and Policy Research Center disclosed two recent studies. One showed that 78.5% of the Taiwanese citizens agree with the energy transition policy. The second showed that more than half of the respondents were willing to pay more to switch from fossil fuels to more renewable energy. Public awareness of the issue is rising !
Our View : The population agrees on the idea that our country should switch towards a more renewable energy mix, as the government had initially planned. So why are the energy transition efforts slowing down ? Who, or what is standing in the way for a more swift change? We feel some actors, especially businesses, need to be understood and convinced to find constructive ways to go toward a greener energy.
Further reading: https://rsprc.ntu.edu.tw/en/m01-2/energy-transition/1415-2020-survey.html
Movie break : “Water with life in Taiwan”
The Stake : We need to always remember why we need to protect the beauty of our environment. We need to always remember that we can’t create without it.
The New : Delta electronic foundation, a foundation fighting to foster sustainable development through environmental education, the promotion of green buildings and rigorous climate and energy research, just won a Gold Remi Award-Shorts Documentary award at the Houston International Film Festival. Its new documentary “Water with Life”, highlights the grace of Taiwan’s water resources with groundbreaking 8K images. The video will be available during this year and used for environmental education.
Our View : While you wait for this new video, we invite you to discover the first video the Delta electronic foundation did, a few years back : “Beyond Beauty — Taiwan from Above”.
Further reading: https://apnews.com/PR%20Newswire/410ab4da80af6b9f7fa38d0a2cb01356
Decreased ambitions on circular economy and ecological concerns？
The Stake : President Tsai Ing-Wen has always been a major supporter and advocate of a transition to a more circular economy and a strong concern for climate change. And as a president, she plays a key role. Four years ago, she declared “The new administration will seriously address issues related to climate change, land conservation and disaster prevention. After all, we only have one earth, and we only have one Taiwan”
The New : In January, she was re-elected as the President, and on 2020 May 20th, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered her second-term inaugural address. This year, she disappointed the younger generation by making no such declaration. This can not be forgotten. The circular economy is key to fighting climate change and for now, it is unfortunately more in the realm of ideas than in Taiwan’s reality.
Our View : What happened? Do we suddenly have more than one Taiwan? Lately, the political debate on our island has been to oppose economic prosperity and ecological concerns. We have to be extremely careful about such a divide! For two reasons :
- Economy cannot exist without ecology. We have one world, and one Taiwan. Focusing on the short term is never a long term solution. And the more we neglect our island, the more we become dependent on other nations.
- It is urgent to show that we can develop our economy and be mindful of our environment too. Examples from around the world show that it is possible. Why don’t we become such an example too ?
Further reading: https://udn.com/news/story/121092/4576860
The importance of Climate Citizen Dialogue in the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act”
The Stake : 2020 is the last year of the 5-years first phase of the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act” in Taiwan. The goal of this program was to bring carbon emissions 2% lower than their level in 2005. While waiting for the end of the year to get the final figures, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is already working on a draft for the second phase. The EPA is going to submit a proposition for the second phase of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act with the objective to reduce emission by 10% in the next 5 years.
The New : To foster public awareness and to create citizen engagement, the EPA has launched the “Climate Citizen Dialogue Platform” (https://www.climatetalks.tw/). Providing a lot of information and numbers, this platform allowed groups as well as individuals from all walks of life to share ideas on how to reduce carbon emission in Taiwan. The first collection step is over and has helped to gather numerous ideas across several fields. Those ideas will be incorporated into the thinking of the new proposition.
Our View : Collective intelligence and citizen engagement is at the heart of Taiwan’s democracy. Like https://energywhitepaper.tw/ before, the “Climate Citizen Dialogue Platform” allows anyone to get the necessary information and suggest ideas directly to the government. The next phase will need to be particularly ambitious and necessary to decrease carbon emission sufficiently in the next 5 years. It is extremely important that the public understands the stakes and participates to the brainstorm.
Our Latest actions
Press conference : We need the government to form an advisory committee for the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act”
The Stake : As we wait the end of 2020 and the results of the 5-years first phase of the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act’’ in Taiwan, suspicion grows from within the EPA itself that figures won’t be satisfying. It is critical to future projects that past ambitions are met. The goal of this program was to bring carbon emissions 2% lower than their level in 2005 10% in the next 5 years.
The New : EPA’s administrator recently testified that Taiwan might barely meet its decarbonization goal for 2020. In our joint press release, we called for bottom-up engagement with stakeholders and clear division of responsibilities between governments. TWYCC’s climate campaign team also highlighted the need for GHG Act to include six components of NDC — mitigation, adaptation, financing, technology, capacity building, and transparency. We hope that the proposed committee can increase civic participation and form a basis for more concrete climate actions.
Our View : Asking public participation for ideas and broadcasting information on climate change is an extraordinary step forward. However, we need not to forget the measures we decided in the past, and make sure the action plan we defined and those we will define are conducted all the way through. Fighting climate change won’t need only good ideas, but also thorough execution.
Leading Systems Change: Systems Thinking for a Sustainable World
The stake : Sustainable development and climate actions are embedded within the society, the economy, and the environment. It is key to have multiple stakeholders participating and innovating toward a more sustainable life, rather than trying to find unique solutions. This is why system thinking is crucial to sustainability and climate action. Only by thinking thoroughly about the cause and effects of every action, and also what actions can lead to a systematic change, can we make the most influential climate actions.
The New : TWYCC was invited to follow a course on System Thinking at the National Taiwan University (NTU) in the global MBA curriculum with the students of the promotion. On the last day of the semester, the class presented 4 extraordinary finals. The topics ranged widely, from how coffee waste can create value and change the industry to how the regenerative business model can transform the solar energy field, through how public involvement in energy generation can help industrial transformation and how Taiwan can move toward a sustainable transportation.
Our View : We are really thankful for this experience where we learned how system thinking can stimulate more efficient sustainable plans and climate actions. TWYCC believes the class will take what they learned and carry on working side by side with TWYCC to fight for climate change, and create system change in their own field. Such classes are really important as they create mindsets that can spread. It is really important that we start to see phenomena as interconnected and dynamic. We need to understand that the natural, social, and economic worlds are interrelated and constantly changing, and that people, including oneself, are part of this dynamic system.
Friday For Future : “Cold jokes” to “cool down” climate change
The Stake : We need to create engagement around the climate change issues. Even though climate change is no joke, humour is a great way to create such an engagement. In Taiwanese culture, a cheesy joke that is so bad it leaves the audience into a cold silence is called “a cold joke”. An opportunity to create a discussion we had to take advantage of !
The News : To support Friday For Future (FFF), we launched a competition of climate related jokes to entertain and engage the new generation around those topics during the pandemic. While people were stuck at home, we used the digital media to create a buzz around ridicule jokes around the campus.
Our view : This effectively showed that the youth can take an interest on the topic and realize it is not by talking about it that we will fix our society. Turning issues into ridicule actually makes us realize it is ridiculous that we have those issues in the first place. We know we are harming our environment and we are not acting, that’s what is ridiculous.
Support us !
“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” — David Brower
Here at TWYCC, we strongly believe that we need to create awareness, empower people to act and give a medium for anyone to speak up. Our ambition is to empower people from all walks of life to :
- Understand the stakes and care about the environment,
- Have faith in the civic power and understand how it works,
- Support the young generation in Taiwan to participate in international affairs.
Since its establishment, the members of TWYCC have devoted their time and energy to climate action, and have self-funded their development and activities.
Your support could provide substantial help for members of the TWYCC to focus on its missions and have a greater impact.
With your kind support, The following things could be promoted more successfully:
1. Climate Action and Project
- Initiate Climate action
- Continue to speak for generations
The bottom-up power of civil society is a significant momentum to reverse climate change. TWYCC continues to participate in United Nations climate negotiations, advocates climate justice and balance between generations, and initiates a series of connections of campuses from home and abroad to gather Taiwan’s youths’ perspectives and practice climate action through mitigation and adaptation.
2. Youth Climate Empowerment
- Nurture talented climate leaders
- Expand influence of action
Since 2009, TWYCC has organized youth climate empowerment activities every year, including training camps during winter and summer vacation and normal voluntary teams. It has trained over 100 youth TWYCCers annually to shine in various fields with the knowledge and enthusiasm of climate action.
3. Organization Operation and Personnel Administration
- Improve organization’s daily management
- Maintain team mobility
All members were volunteers during the first ten years of TWYCC. Toward the second decade, while we are committed to the implementation of the two visions, we still had to execute the administrative affairs which included regular spending on the organization’s business expenditures, such as full-time personnel costs, venues, transportation, and management of documents and information.
