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Taiwan seeks inclusion in UNFCCC, says participation will speedy combat of global warming

By Ujunwa Atueyi
20 January 2017   |   1:22 am
The need for the international community to include Taiwan in the programmes and activities of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has again been revisited.
Global Warming. PHOTO: Scienceblogs.com

Global Warming. PHOTO: Scienceblogs.com

The need for the international community to include Taiwan in the programmes and activities of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has again been revisited.

Providing them with the opportunity to equitably participate in the prevention of potential global environmental disasters under UNFCCC, according to a newsletter, Spotlight, published by the Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and obtained by The Guardian will guarantee successful combat of global warming.

The bulletin, which claimed that Taiwan’s exclusion from the UNFCCC has political undertone, emphasised that its association in UNFCCC financial mechanisms could contribute significantly to climate change adaptation, as well as boost multilateral cooperation on technology transfers and sharing.

It stated that owing to their major breakthroughs in greenhouse gas emissions reduction, its involvement in the Conference of Parties (COP) event would yield great dividends to the global world.

It said: “Taiwan under circumstance of political challenge from mainland China has very limited access to COP events. It stands to reason therefore, that Taiwan can only increase its contributions towards efforts at eradicating harmful practices that negatively affect our climate if it is able to participate in COP and the UNFCCC in a more comprehensive manner. As you know, climate change is a problem that requires changes to our current lifestyle, a strong commitment to greenhouse gas emissions reduction as well as participation and cooperation of all stakeholders.

“On September 21, 2009, Taiwan officially announced its intention to seek official participation in UN specialised agencies with priority target set on the UNFCCC. Taiwan’s absence in the UNFCCC has created a noticeable gap in the global efforts in combating climate change. To ensure success of combating global warming by the international community Taiwan should not be excluded. Taiwan’s participation is a matter of climate justice; its inclusion would add momentum to limiting temperature increases, as Taiwan ranked as the world’s 22nd largest emitter of carbon dioxide in 2013.

It continued: “The landmark Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015, bringing all nations together under a common cause that drives global mitigation actions with long term goals. It is therefore illogical for any part of the world to be excluded from deliberations that could alleviate the adverse effects of climate change.”

Insisting that Taiwan’s participation in UNFCCC will help the world a great deal, it pointed out that they have assisted developing countries to combat negative effects of climate change in the area of food and energy security, green technology, LED street lighting, biodiversity conservation, natural disaster management, among others.

Appealing to all and sundry to wade into the matter, it said, “We are fully aware of our obligations on the global environmental issues and are willing to assume our long-term ongoing commitments to environmental sustainability efforts in sharing reduction obligations to avoid emissions from Taiwan turning into a global leakage.

“At present, 190 parties have formally submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UNFCCC, covering 98.8 per cent of global emissions, and 27 parties representing 39 per cent of global emissions have ratified the Paris Agreement. Nevertheless, it will remain a challenge to limit the increase of global surface temperatures to below two degree Celsius. So far Taiwan has not been allowed to submit its INDC to the UNFCCC secretariat for purely political reasons.

“Based on these, we urge all countries in the world, in consideration of protection of the living condition for human co-existence, to provide us with the opportunity to fairly participate in all the activities of UNFCCC as well as jointly combat global warming with the international community in addition to our active participation in greenhouse gas reduction and capacity building activities.”

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