Skip to main content

International Trends Driven by Sustainability Awareness Under the “2050 Net Zero Emissions” Initiative: Proactive Participation in International Exchanges and Joint Promotion of Green Transportation with the General Public and Enterprises

  • Release Unit:Investment Service Section
  • 資料提供單位:Department of Economic Development

Introduction: Global response to sustainable development guides national and industrial operational policies

/001/Upload/24/relpic/9866/449422/1d06a45b-5db0-4f76-86c3-f62c543a55d8.png

The United Nations announced the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to help all countries maintain a balance between technological advances, industrial development, ecological protection, and environmental sustainability while committing to industrial and economic development, and also protect social and cultural welfare through material issues such as cultural awareness, recognition, race, sexual health, and educational development.

Source: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/news/communications-material/


In that same year, 193 countries responded to the initiative, seeking to achieve the sustainable development goals for 2030 through their joint efforts. This consensus rapidly became a global trend. Many multinational companies have incorporated the SDGs into their core operational goals and have adjusted their operational production strategies for joint alignment with the SDGs.


In December 2019, the Executive Yuan approved the “Taiwan Sustainable Development Goals,” which include 18 core goals and 143 specific indicators, and serve as local strategic guidelines for the SDGs. Apart from listing responsible coordinators and co-coordinators for corresponding indicators, reports on evaluations of sustainable development indicator systems are issued annually, highlighting the Taiwanese government’s emphasis on sustainable development.




Taoyuan City actively participates in international forums to communicate and share low-carbon urban developments and corporate greening governance strategies with the world

In 2021, the United Nations hosted the Conference of Parties (COP) in Glasgow, UK from October 31 to November 12, and Taoyuan was the only city in Taiwan to participate in the conference. The city delegation participated in four presentations and three diplomatic events. During the Conference, the delegation presented Taoyuan City’s low-carbon achievements, showing how Taoyuan City Government assisted local communities with ecological greening, energy greening and conservation, green transportation, resource recycling, low-carbon living, and sustainable management in a bottom-up manner; the delegation also shared the city’s practical experiences in integrating low-carbon concepts into people’s daily lives and promoting sustainable communities (*Note 1).


In 2022, the mayor of Taoyuan attended the “Thrive Tomorrow, Future Taoyuan” International Trend Forum and spoke about Taoyuan City’s implementations of various transformation projects relating to the four aspects of low-carbon transportation, buildings, industries, and living, which provided excellent geopolitical conditions for industrial and corporate development by establishing an optimal environment through green transportation, air pollution prevention programs, green production programs for printed circuit boards, promotion programs for renewable energy, green industrial transformations, and other excellent achievements.


To achieve the low-carbon goal of reducing 40% of carbon emissions by 2030, Taoyuan formulated the self-government Regulations for Taoyuan Developing into a Low -Carbon Green City” in 2016 and officially released the “United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Voluntary Local Review (VLR)” in 2020 to guide implementations of policy programs for the SDGs. In 2019, Taoyuan was designated the Chair of ICLEI EcoLogistics Community by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, and worked to integrate low-carbon strategies into the logistics industry and transportation management. Taoyuan continues to lead Taiwan in making strides toward low-carbon and sustainable goals through many forums and by exchanging experiences with cities and private corporations around the world, encouraging all parties to set low-carbon transformations as their main governance indicator. Many private enterprises recognized and supported these efforts, forming a tripartite consensus between the government, society, and corporations, for joint establishment of a low-carbon and sustainable city. 


During the “Thrive Tomorrow, Future Taoyuan” forum, the mayor engaged in a video-conference dialogue with the CEO of iF International Forum Design to discuss how Taoyuan will meet the “2050 Net Zero Emissions” goal and continue to build a smart, low-carbon, and green city that allows for mutual growth in the environment, society, and corporate governance. CEO Uwe Cremering also shared the experiences he gained through long-term observations of innovative corporate design and digital transformation, and provided professional suggestions on how to implement “sustainable designs” in Taiwan’s cities and corporations in future while maintaining a grasp on developmental opportunities. Taoyuan City can now be considered a pioneer city that leads sustainable development trends in Taiwan while aligning with international trends.




Precise formulation of policy guidelines based on practical needs to encourage joint participation of society and industries through promotion of green transportation policies

The population of Taoyuan City has grown to 2.27 million people since the city was upgraded. As the special municipality with the highest population growth in Taiwan, Taoyuan’s business developments are booming, and the number of scooters (the most common vehicle in Taiwan ) in the city has grown in direct proportion to the city’s population, so there are currently 1.28 million scooters in Taoyuan. Therefore, the question of how to reduce carbon emissions and environmental pollution from cars, scooters, and industrial processes is now an emphasis of the Taoyuan City Government.


Taoyuan City Government actively works to popularize public and private low-carbon vehicles. Apart from enhancing sustainable development, these vehicles also allow for more flexible travel. Periodic promotions relating to green transport and establishment of public charging stations have greatly increased public willingness to use these facilities, knowledge of green energies, and awareness. Taoyuan continues to build infrastructure for electric vehicles and provides diverse subsidies for low-pollution transportation through the “subsidy program for retiring and replacing scooters,” “subsidy program for installation of electric vehicle charging facilities,” “subsidies for newly purchased electric scooters and bicycles,” establishment of “low-carbon transportation zones,” and establishment of Taiwan’s first “solar charging demonstration zone for electric vehicles.”


Apart from public facilities, Taoyuan City also invested in commercial electric vehicles in tandem with corporations. There are more than 2000 logistics companies in Taoyuan City, and the city government provides various public services to encourage adoption of low-carbon vehicles. In early 2022, Kerry TJ Logistics and Awayspeed Technology hosted the “eTrike Delivery Ceremony” where Awayspeed Technology launched the first commercial electric trike, which boasts excellent performance, a battery life of up to 110 kilometers, zero carbon emissions, and low noise, making it highly suitable for logistics and home delivery services in Taiwanese cities and achievement of low-carbon logistics goals. In future, the city government will also formulate subsidy programs to encourage more logistics companies and food delivery fleets to use electric vehicles (*Note 2).


Additionally, in terms of electrification of official vehicles, the city government also continues to work with enterprises in promoting use of electric scooters by cleaning crews, water environment patrol teams, neighborhood watches, and village chiefs. Taoyuan City plans to electrify all buses and official vehicles by 2030, the fastest timeline out of all the special municipalities. As of 2022, many outstanding results have already been achieved.




Conclusion

Complete greening of all transportation is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of practical implementations to achieve net zero emissions. Taiwan is small and densely populated, so all changes and adjustments impact upon one another. Collaboration between Taoyuan City Government and associated units can hopefully lead all cities in Taiwan to develop comprehensive, innovative, sustainable, and low-carbon policies. For Taoyuan City, current promotion and cultivation of practical implementations and public awareness will aid long-term developments, and will also encourage all parties to jointly achieve the vision of a low-carbon and green city.


Note 1: “Vice Mayor Kao shares his experiences participating in COP26 as part of the Taoyuan City delegation, sharing Taoyuan’s low-carbon urban achievements with the world while working toward net zero emissions.” Taoyuan City Government Municipal News. Retrieved on December 1, 2021 from

https://www.tycg.gov.tw/ch/home.jsp?id=10412&parentpath=0,10401&mcustomize=news_view_small.jsp&dataserno=202112010006&aplistdn=ou=news,ou=chinese,ou=ap_root,o=tycg,c=tw&toolsflag=Y

Note 2: “Mayor Cheng showers praise on achievements in low-carbon logistics; Kerry TJ Logistics collaborates with Awayspeed Technology to launch the first electric trike for commercial use.” Taoyuan City Government Municipal News. Retrieved on April 19, 2022 from https://www.tycg.gov.tw/ch/home.jsp?id=10412&parentpath=0,10401&mcustomize=news_view_small.jsp&dataserno=202204190003&aplistdn=ou=news,ou=chinese,ou=ap_root,o=tycg,c=tw&toolsflag=Y