Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

During the press conference following the city administration meeting on December 8, Mayor Hau Lung-bin announced that Deputy Secretary Chen Yong-ren will be leaving for Copenhagen to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference. He will represent Taipei City – one of the members of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).
According to Hau, the ICLEI comprises 1,107 member cities around the world. The organization has invited 80 member cities to attend the event, and he pointed out that Taipei is the only city giving a presentation at the roundtable session.
To affirm the city’s position in protecting our planet, the mayor signed the Climate Protection Agreement at the press conference. Hau stressed that there are six major points in the agreement, and Taipei has announced its willingness to abide by the prescribed measures to address the crisis, including the reduction of carbon gas emission to 60 percent less than the level in 1990 by the year 2050.
Hau remarked that joining the ICLEI was one of the first things he accomplished after assuming the position of the mayor. The city adopted policies recommended by the organization to cut carbon emission and conserve energy. Beginning in 2007, the city government set a goal to reduce both electricity and gas consumption by one percent every year, showing substantial results.
He reported that the city government is working on possible strategies to combine the resources of both the public and private sectors to implement measures to cut carbon emission. The city will also promote conservation concepts at the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo.