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Published Date: 2021-11-18
Taiwan's
Environmental Protection Administration has amended its plan for addressing
climate change to include a carbon tax mechanism. This will be used as a step
to help the country reach its goal of zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.
This move comes in
response to the EU's implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism,
an act meant to prevent EU countries from moving high carbon emission
production to countries with less strict environmental protection laws.
On Thursday,
lawmaker Lai Hsiang-ling asked Environmental Protection Administration Minister
Chang Tzi-chin why Taiwan's climate change prevention measures differ drastically
from the EU's plan. Under the Paris Climate Agreement, countries in the EU tax
each ton of carbon dioxide at US$40-$80. Taiwan, meanwhile, only plans to tax
US$3 per ton of carbon dioxide.
Chang says that
Taiwan is not part of the United Nations or the Paris Climate Agreement, so
holding Taiwan to the high EU standards is unnecessary and unrealistic. He says
Taiwan should focus on the goal of reducing its carbon emissions, and that the
exact carbon tax rate is only one component of this movement.
Chang says that
the Environmental Protection Administration plans to send its revised climate
change response plan to Taiwan's legislators in the next review session.