Taiwan Today
Date: April 12, 2016
New Taipei City in northern Taiwan is slashing greenhouse gasses and
New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu hammers home the importance of tackling climate change during a forum April 10 in the northern Taiwan metropolis. (CNA)
leading the way in helping Taiwan reach its carbon emissions reduction goal in the 21st century and beyond.
Initiatives like installing light-emitting diode, or LED, bulbs in 220,000 street lamps, as well as encouraging greater use of the public bike rental system YouBike through offering the first 30 minutes of use free, are examples of successful local government undertakings aimed at keeping New Taipei on the road to sustainable and low-carbon city status.
New Taipei is also winning international recognition for its greening efforts. In December 2015, it was named one of the 10 best metropolises in the world for climate reporting by London-based Carbon Disclosure Project. A month earlier, the city was the first in Asia to achieve full compliance with climate change action announced by the Compact of Mayors, a New York-based organization and the world’s largest coalition of city leaders committed to combating climate change.
To further its efforts, the New Taipei City Government organized climate change forum April 10 in Banqiao District, gathering local academics and representatives of the private and public sectors to discuss strategies to fight against climate change. “Facing the severe challenges brought by climate change, we have to be well-prepared and work hand in hand to cut carbon emissions and conserve biodiversity,” Mayor Eric Chu said. [FULL STORY]
