ld in Durban, South Africa, from November 28 to December 9 this year, delegations from around the world will gather to discuss such issues as the post-2012 climate regime, stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, the future of the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of the Cancun agreement.
Although the Republic of China (Taiwan) has yet to be permitted to participate as an observer in the UNFCCC process, it still aspires to be a part of global efforts towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. To this end, Taiwan has decided to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 30% relative to the business-as-usual (BAU) benchmark by 2020, and has drafted a GHG Reduction Bill that will soon be put through the legislature.
Taiwan’s participation in the Convention process would conform to the spirit and purpose of the UNFCCC, which acknowledges that “the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible cooperation.” According to Paragraph 6 of Article 7 of the Convention, Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) should be admitted to participate as an observer in the sessions of the COP, since it “is qualified in matters covered by the Convention.”
Furthermore, Taiwan has already participated in other UN-related conferences and activities. Since May 2009, Taiwan’s Department of Health has been invited for 3 consecutive years to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer under the designation “Chinese Taipei.” The 1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UNFSA) provides the legal basis for Taiwan’s participation in various regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs). By acting in such capacity as a fishing entity and using the name of “Chinese Taipei”, Taiwan has become a member of some RFMOs since 2002.
At the recent 34th Session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 34) held in Bonn, an in-session workshop was convened to discuss ways to enhance the engagement of observer organizations. The chair of the workshop noted in his report that “a proposal was also made that the international community supports the efforts of an agency of Chinese Taipei to participate in the UNFCCC process as an observer.”
The Mandate of SBI indicates that the SBI recognized the need to take into account best practices from other process within the United Nations system and requested the secretariat to keep under review good practices relating to observer organizations in the United Nations system. These examples of WHA, RFMOs and SBI 34 chair’ s report of the in-session workshop concern “practices relating to observer organizations in the United Nations system.” It would therefore be greatly appreciated if the UNFCCC Secretariat would consider practices used in the WHA or RFMOs, and permit Taiwan to participate in the Session of the COP as an observer. Moreover, Taiwan’s participation would further enhance engagement by observer organizations in the UNFCCC process.
As the world’s second largest solar cell manufacturer and largest LED manufacturer, Taiwan’s green energy industry is helping to significantly reduce global carbon emissions and enhance energy efficiency. Nevertheless, the manufacturing process for these green products is adding to Taiwan’s growing GHG emissions. Indeed, the level of Taiwan’s carbon dioxide emissions increased sharply in 2010, a year in which the International Energy Agency also announced that CO2 emissions had reached their highest levels in history. Clearly, the question of how to reduce global GHG emissions has become a pressing issue and the world desperately needs a new climate change regime.
Climate change knows no boundaries and Taiwan faces challenges just as severe as the rest of the world. Extreme weather events – including excessive heat waves, droughts and floods – are becoming normal and increasingly frequent. Taiwan’s annual average surface temperature increased by 1.4 degrees Celsius between 1911 and 2009, or roughly 0.14 degrees Celsius per decade, which is almost twice the global average. And over the past 30 years, the temperature has increased by 0.29 degree Celsius per decade, almost twice the 100-year linear trend globally. Rainfall in Taiwan has also gradually decreased. The annual average number of rain days decreased at a rate of approximately four days every decade between 1911 and 2009. After 1980, this rate worsened to six days per decade.
There is an urgent need to combat this worrying trend together, yet it is only with the help of the global community that Taiwan can have any hope of doing so. The UNFCCC is a key instrument to deal with climate change. We are prepared and eager to participate in the global climate regime and help safeguard our planet. We would therefore very much appreciate your support for our bid to participate in the UNFCCC-COP meetings as an observer. By the same token, the UNFCCC also needs Taiwan’s cooperation to make its global campaign complete and successful.