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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Campaigners want fossil-fuel subsidy gone
Climate change campaigners at Liberty Square in Taipei yesterday form the shape of a child blowing a wind turbine to promote sustainable energy and mitigate global warming. Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
By Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter
A climate-focused event yesterday saw 300 people gather at Taipei’s Liberty Plaza to call for the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.
Led by Greenpeace Taiwan and other climate organizations, participants formed an image of a child blowing a wind turbine by holding hands to symbolize the progress of “green” energy, before cycling the streets and campaigning to boost sustainable energy and achieve a 100 percent renewable-energy goal by 2050.
The event was part of the global climate march for the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, where a planned march was prohibited following the terror attacks on Nov. 13, Greenpeace Taiwan’s renewable energy project manager Tsai Szu-ting （蔡絲婷） said, adding that the event yesterday was where the voice of the public and grassroots campaigners could be heard by government officials and policymakers attending the conference.
Citing a report by the International Energy Agency that said increasing energy efficiency and developing sources of renewable energy are two priority strategies for the energy sector to reduce carbon emission, Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition executive director Hsu Wan-ting （許菀庭） said government subsidies toward fossil-fuel-burning industries could only stall a successful industry transition, which is why campaigners have called for an end to such subsidies.
Citing the same report, Hsu said a reform of fuel subsidies and taxes, as well as increased investment in sources of renewable energy, could contribute to a 27 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Taiwan faces increasing air pollution in addition to global warming, as the energy sector accounts for 93.5 percent of the nation’s total carbon dioxide emission according to the Environmental Protection Administration, Tsai said.
According to a health risk assessment conducted by Greenpeace Taiwan, more than 50 percent of Taiwan’s fossil-fuel power plants run on coal and pollutants could contribute to 900 premature deaths every year based on the number of plants in 2011, and the death toll could rise to 1,200 if new plants being constructed or planned are included, Tsai said.
“Taiwan should shift to using 100 percent renewable energy for electricity,” Tsai said.
The campaigners said climate debt owed by this generation should not be transferred to future generations, calling on policymakers to uphold climate justice and adjust energy policies.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
