Taiwan's First Afforestation Carbon Offset Project Approved
Taiwan has approved its first afforestation carbon offset project. Environmentalists planted thousands of trees in a former wetland. As the country aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, projects like these aim to help Taiwan reduce its carbon footprint.
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00:00This plot of greenery in central Taiwan used to be a wetland.
00:03It's part of the government's first carbon offset project that involves planting trees
00:07where none were before, a process known as afforestation.
00:11Thousands of saplings were planted here three years ago to generate carbon credits.
00:15The plan allows companies to buy these credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
00:19The government says this project is long-term.
00:21As the trees grow, they slowly grow, and every year their carbon emissions increase.
00:29The Ministry of Environment will also check the trees.
00:33According to the tree species, 605 hectares of land will be accumulated in 30 years.
00:42As a former wetland, environmentalists say it was difficult finding the right species to plant here.
00:47Only around two-thirds of the original saplings have survived.
00:50It's a challenge. It's a big challenge.
00:52The trees are so white.
00:54They're all old trees.
00:55So there's nothing to worry about.
00:58It's been three years now.
00:59I think it's been more than two decades.
01:02The Environment Ministry said the value of the carbon credits generated by this project
01:06after 30 years won't be enough to cover the maintenance and inspection costs.
01:10But officials say the project is a positive first step in environmental protection.
01:15The government is the first to do this.
01:16The forest is the first to do it.
01:17In the past, there were no trees planted in that area.
01:22Now they dare to plant trees.
01:23So this is a very good performance.
01:25Government officials say they have not ruled out expanding the afforestation project to other areas.
01:30But some environmentalists say projects like these don't tackle the true issue of carbon emissions.
01:35The forest is not well-protected.
01:39And climate change is getting worse.
01:42There are more extreme high temperatures and droughts.
01:46This will lead to forest fires and droughts,
01:49which will cause the forest to wither.
01:52In the end, it won't reduce carbon emissions.
01:54So we think the carbon credit system is the ultimate measure.
02:00Think Tank EMBER reports that over 80% of Taiwan's energy still comes from fossil fuels,
02:05even as Taiwan aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
02:08While carbon credit systems like these might be a step in the right direction,
02:12a lot more needs to be done to reduce the country's carbon footprint.
02:15Klein Wong and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.