Sitting vice president and 2024 presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Thursday proposed a five-pronged energy strategy aimed at achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. During a press conference on his policy platform, dubbed the ‘National Project of Hope’, he emphasized that sustainability and a stable power supply are prerequisites for the net-zero transition.
The first step in Lai’s proposal is a focus on alternative energy generation sources such as geothermal, hydrogen, and biomass.
The second step is to use a combination of technology solutions, financial support, and carbon trading schemes to help industries transition to low-carbon operations.
The third step is to effectively communicate and promote green policies and lifestyles to the nation.
The fourth step involves organizing an international consulting team to help translate the international net-zero consensus into a domestic reality while reducing the impact on manufacturers.
The last step is about ensuring a transition that is fair and equitable for all, including an improved dispute resolution mechanism for those affected by the process.
Lai says that if new technologies can address nuclear safety and waste concerns to the point where society could accept them, the government would not rule out the use of nuclear power in the future.