Taiwan, Paraguay plan carbon credit project

• By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

  • 

  • 

  • 

Taiwan and Paraguay are to cooperate in environmental governance with a pilot carbon credit project covering five hectares of woodland in Paraguay, the Climate Change Administration said yesterday.

Deputy Minister of Environment Hsieh Yein-rui (謝燕儒) led a delegation to visit Paraguay’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development from Monday to yesterday, during which they exchanged views on environmental governance.

Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) and Paraguayan Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Rolando de Barros Barreto in October last year signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on carbon credits.

Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming, second right, and Paraguayan Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Rolando de Barros Barreto, second left, hold up a memorandum of understanding on Oct. 1 last year.

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Environment

Administration Director-General Tsai Ling-yi (蔡玲儀) said the project aims to explore feasible carbon credit cooperation mechanisms.

The ministry commissioned the Industrial Technology Research Institute, which collaborated with a Paraguayan company, for an “afforestation, reforestation and revegetation” project in the Chaco region, she said.

The project is more of a pilot study to help develop methods to verify and transfer carbon credits, she added.

Hsieh said the cooperation goes beyond the exchange of systems and policies.

What matters more is integrating resources and practical experiences to establish an implementable and sustainable model, he said.

The administration said Taiwan’s main focus is not the total amount of verifiable carbon credits, but the project’s environmental integrity, scientific foundation and information transparency.

Taiwan expects to bring tangible benefits for sustainable development in Paraguay, it said.

Tsai said Taiwan and Paraguay have reached a consensus on environmental governance via the carbon credit MOU.

That effort is being deepened through bilateral cooperation on talent development, with the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and the National University of Asuncion on Wednesday signing another MOU.

Ten Taiwanese students traveled with the delegation to Paraguay to attend learning exchanges under the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative, Tsai said.

The Climate Change Administration said the MOU signed by the universities focuses on promoting sustainable innovation, entrepreneurship and talent training in terms of sustainable production, ecosystem conservation and climate resilience.

NTHU College of Sustainability dean Fan Chien-te (范建得) said the schools’ MOU helps leverage Taiwan’s training resources to meet Paraguay’s needs.

It is expected to incorporate knowledge of climate change, greenhouse gas management and sustainability into bilateral exchanges to assist Paraguay in developing local green-collar professionals, he added.