2025-05-26
When the 40-year operating license of Taiwan’s last remaining commercial nuclear reactor expired on May 17, the country realized its nuclear phase-out policy after decades of politicized debates. If anything, though, the imminent decommissioning of the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant’s second reactor has only fueled another round of heated discussions on the potential role of nuclear power in Taiwan’s energy future. On May 13, the Legislative Yuan – Taiwan’s national legislature, where opposition parties currently hold a majority – passed amendments to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act, allowing nuclear power plant operators to apply for a 20-year license renewal beyond the original 40-year cap and easing restrictions on their restarts. In the meantime, it also passed a proposal from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) for a referendum on restarting the Maanshan plant, which is now set to take place in August. Such renewed interest in nuclear energy is a […]
2025-03-14
After the election two weeks ago, Friedrich Merz, a conservative and former corporate lawyer for Blackrock, is likely to become the next chancellor of Germany. The campaign was dominated by the economy and migration, while the climate crisis played an insignificant role. According to a recent poll, Germans consider the economic situation and migration as most pressing issues, with 43 % and 42 % ranking them as top concerns, respectively. Germany has long been a key advocate for climate action. But according to Simon Franzmann, Professor for Democratic Studies in Göttingen, parties emphasize growth and the promise of wealth as key topics, while climate targets move back on the political agenda. Will Germany still be able to decarbonize its economy in this political setting? And will it still lead on climate policy after turning against its incumbent center-left coalition? Merz Wins, The Center Loses, Right And Left-Wing Parties Gain Votes […]
2024-12-11
With its threats to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and its “energy dominance” agenda, the return of the Trump administration is set to disrupt the global energy landscape. This marks a sharp contrast to the climate legacy of the Biden administration, characterised by historic investments, governance innovation, and renewed international leadership. The Biden administration has implemented a comprehensive approach to address climate change through legislation, policy coordination, and international leadership. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, allocates $370 billion in federal incentives, the largest climate-focused investment globally. The IRA mandates that 40% of the funds benefit disadvantaged communities and enforces strict environmental standards for hydrogen projects. To ensure effective implementation, the Biden administration established the National Climate Task Force, adopting a whole-of-government approach to domestic climate policy coordination. Therefore, climate change is listed as a key pillar of the National Security Strategy and Trade Policy Agenda. The Department […]
2024-01-10
When it comes to the climate, all three candidates in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election have emphasised the importance of taking action and committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The main driver behind this mainstreaming of climate policy is the fact that supply chain requirements have made the country’s export competitiveness highly connected to climate performance. Therefore, we must scrutinise the comprehensiveness of each candidate’s policy proposals, rather than solely relying on whether they are climate denialists, to distinguish their positions. Taiwan Climate Action Network (TCAN), a collaborative advocacy platform organised by five NGOs, has thus produced a climate commitment tracker to compare their positions on seven key climate-related policies: (1) 2030 emissions reduction target, (2) carbon pricing strategies, (3) 2030 power mix, (4) renewable energy development plan, (5) industrial decarbonisation, (6) public participation, and (7) just transition. In this article, we will focus specifically on their 2030 pledges, carbon pricing strategies, and just […]
2023-01-31
We published a commentary about the 12 key net-zero strategies and the climate change response act on Climate Home News. Due to considerations of reader friendliness and words limitation, the final version of the commentary is quite condensed compared than the original draft. Hence is the complete version: Chia-Wei Chao and Pei-Wei Yang, Taiwan Climate Action Network Taiwan has become an issue of interest in the global climate regime lately due to the geopolitical effects of the US-China climate dialogue. The island itself, however, ranks 22nd globally in terms of territorial CO2 emissions and is among the top five most exposed countries to climate risks — the progress of Taiwan’s climate policies therefore cannot be viewed as a mere footnote to the US-China competition, but an issue that merits great scrutiny on its own. Recently, there are two defining moments in Taiwan climate policy: the announcement of the government’s 12 Key Strategies Action Plan […]
2023-01-31
Published on 31/01/2023, 4:35pm Comment: Taiwan’s industry is responsible for more than half of its emissions but the government’s new climate policies have no specific plan to tackle them. Youth climate activists took to the streets of Taipei in September 2020 (Picture: Li-Wen Chang/Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition) By Chia-Wei Chao and Benjamin Yang When Taiwan makes climate headlines, it’s usually only because of the nation’s impact on the US and China’s climate talks. But the island is important in its own right too. It is the 22nd biggest emitter in the world and is highly at risk from storms and sea level rise. Taiwan’s government has made two big moves on climate recently, but these might not guarantee success unless the country cleans up its biggest source of emissions: industry. Key moves First, on December 28, it allocated US$30 billion for climate investments up to 2030. DR Congo delays rainforest oil auctions Known as the 12 key strategies, this […]
