Moving Toward Sustainability, Net Zero In Taiwan

In response to the impact of global climate change, both Taiwan and the United States have set ambitious goals of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The transportation sector, a significant contributor to carbon emissions, plays a crucial role in this process. The urgency to reduce carbon emissions has led more than 60 countries worldwide to adopt low carbon fuel policies to capture the environmental, human health and economic benefits of ethanol.

To accelerate progress, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) organized a policy discussion meeting, the Diversified Carbon Reduction & Sustainable Development Forum in Taipei, Taiwan, in June.

The forum attracted industry representatives from sectors including energy, transportation, environmental protection and the vehicle industry.

Mackenzie Boubin, USGC director of global ethanol export development kicked off the meeting and Dr. Pam Wen from the Chung-hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) discussed the CIER’s assessment of ethanol’s potential role in Taiwan’s net-zero strategies for the transportation sector. Additional topics included global ethanol policy, the environmental and human health benefits of ethanol and infrastructure compatibility.

“The options shared by industry representatives during the forum played a crucial role in shaping policy recommendations to help Taiwan reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Boubin said.

lndustry representatives also shared their perspectives and proposed options from their respective sectors. Key topics discussed included the immediate carbon reduction opportunities in the transportation sector using ethanol-blended fuel (E10), the need to diversify carbon reduction efforts with a transition plan involving ethanol-blended fuel, and strategies for implementing low carbon fuel policies and incentives to promote the adoption of ethanol-blended fuel throughout the supply chain.

The USGC’s Taiwan office will consolidate these recommendations into a comprehensive policy proposal on behalf of the industry. Additionally, the United States’ experience in net-zero transportation policy, specifically in the low-carbon fuel domain, are expected to become areas of further cooperation between Taiwan and the United States.

”The main purpose of this forum is to propose a diversified carbon reduction path for Taiwan through the exchange of domestic and foreign experience,” said Michael Lu, USGC director in Taiwan. “The Council is going to actively promote cross-border cooperation to help Taiwan accelerate progress toward its net-zero goal.”