Taipei: Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming announced that Taiwan's greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 are projected to be about 9 percent below 2005 levels, narrowly missing the government's 10 percent reduction target.
According to Focus Taiwan, Peng emphasized Taiwan's official goal to reduce emissions by 28 percent by 2030, with a margin of plus or minus 2 percentage points compared to 2005 levels. However, he noted that various uncertainties, including economic growth, could influence the final emissions figure for 2025.
Peng highlighted Taiwan's 13.6 percent economic growth in the first quarter of 2026 as a sign of the economy's strength. He suggested that robust growth could encourage investment in carbon reduction but might also increase energy demand, leaving the net impact on emissions uncertain. Peng acknowledged the challenge of meeting the 2030 target, which requires a nearly 20 percent reduction over the next five years, but emphasized that Taiwan's emissions are on a steady downward trend, contrasting with rising global emissions.
The Ministry of Environment (MOENV) released the national greenhouse gas emissions report, revealing that net emissions in 2024 were 251.404 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This figure represents a 6.59 percent reduction from 2005 and a 1.92 percent reduction from 2023. The report indicated that the energy sector, encompassing emissions from industry, commerce, transportation, and households, was the largest contributor, with emissions totaling 247.219 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Notably, emissions from the energy sector decreased by 1.07 percent from 2005, marking the first time they have fallen below the baseline year since emissions reporting began in 2014. The MOENV highlighted that the United Nations Environment Programme's Emissions Gap Report 2025 showed global emissions rising by 2.3 percent in 2024, while Taiwan's emissions decreased, suggesting that emissions-reduction measures are effective.
The Global Carbon Budget 2025 also recognized Taiwan as one of 35 economies that managed to reduce emissions while achieving economic growth. However, the report noted that emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) in 2024 increased by 16.01 percent from 2023. MOENV Climate Change Administration Director-General Tsai Lin-yi attributed this rise to increased production in the semiconductor industry, but assured that emissions remain within the cap.