Environmental Protection Minister Wei Kuo-yen is scheduled to participate in the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. This is the first time a Taiwanese official will be taking part in a UN climate conference in person. Wei left for Paris on Thursday.
The Paris Climate Conference opened on November 30th. It is considered the most significant climate conference since the conference that produced the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Over 100 nations are expected to attend. They include developed countries, countries with severe pollution problems, and islands that face being submerged by rising sea levels.
Wei has said that he will pay special attention to several topics during the conference. These include the effects of extreme climate conditions on island countries, appropriate ways for the international community to monitor individual countries’ greenhouse gases, and the future establishment of a carbon tax trading system.
The cabinet has also said that Wei will be observing the strategies other nations have adopted in the face of climate change.
Wei is expected to return to Taiwan on December 2. The Environmental Protection Administration says that Wei’s attendance at the conference will showcase Taiwan’s proactive attitude in dealing with climate change to the world.