The Presidential Office’s National Climate Change Committee will meet again on Thursday, where President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) will announce Taiwan’s decarbonization targets for 2032 and 2035.
The five major executive branches of the Cabinet will present their plans to achieve the decarbonization target at the meeting, after which the National Development Council will consolidate them into a unified blueprint.
The Environment Ministry announced last year that Taiwan’s decarbonization target for 2030 has been raised from 24±1% to 28±2%. In an interview with Radio Taiwan International on Tuesday, Environment Minister Peng Chi-Ming (彭啟明) stated that the government will actively align the 2032 and 2035 targets with international standards. However, he also noted that they will consider the changing global situation and recent revisions to laws governing public finance, allowing for flexibility in setting these targets in response to these factors.
Peng also expounded on the 2030 decarbonization target, saying that the ministry will hold a public hearing on February 7 with the aim of submitting the target for approval by the Cabinet. He added that the target for 2035 will also undergo the same procedures and will be presented to the international community at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Brazil later this year.
The National Climate Change Committee was established in June 2024 as part of President Lai’s policy initiatives. It includes representatives from government agencies, industry sectors, civil society organizations (CSOs), and field experts. Regular meetings are held to discuss issues such as net-zero emissions, green energy, sustainable development, and climate resilience, with the goal of engaging civil society in developing national strategies to address climate change.