The trend of reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions has become an important task of the current county team in order to fulfill the local government's point of view of greenhouse gas reduction plan. In addition, a comprehensive understanding of the initial emission characteristics and to control the emission sources to set specific greenhouse gas reduction in the implementation plan.
Taoyuan County Government has been actively carrying out greenhouse gas inventory and reduction plan since year 2007. Moreover, this year, 2009, with the ever increasing motivation of the county plan objectives, various sections of the EPA reduction measures and cooperation mechanisms for the greenhouse gas have been focused and developed to achieve the reduction and control of greenhouse gas. By compiling the “Carbon Reduction Strategy in Taoyuan County", all the units in the county department should promote the greenhouse gas emissions strategy in the present and future such as, to analyze the greenhouse gas problem, to develop the solution, to focus the future expectations and prospects, as the references for the new initiatives planning.
According to the Taoyuan County greenhouse gas inventory results in 2006, industrial was found as the main source to emit greenhouse gas which accounts 69% of emissions in Taoyuan County. Therefore, in this project, Taoyuan County Industrial Park greenhouse gas inventory, Taoyuan County Industrial Zone was selected as the greenhouse gas emission characteristics with detailed examination to understand structure and use of output, employment, population and industrial data emission intensity analysis, and analysis of various industrial areas and Taoyuan County between greenhouse gas emissions. Five major industrial areas in Taoyuan County were selected in this project. There are Ping-chen, Youth, Chung-li Industrial Park, Gueishan and Dayuan Industrials. The results showed that Chung-Li industrial zone has the highest greenhouse gas emission, whereas Youth, Chung-li Industrial Park, Gueishan and Dayuan Industrials. The results showed Youth, Chung-li Industrial Park, Gueishan and Dayuan Industrials. The results showed released the least greenhouse gas. However, in terms of energy efficiency, Gueishan Industrials had the lowest per capita emissions per unit output value among these industrial zones. As a result, different industries have different emission intensity per unit output value which showed different industrial energy efficiency. This project also established a baseline greenhouse gas inventory and database in Taoyuan County which based on the previous work results (2006), which assimilate the emission information from each sector, raw date sources and baseline data estimation to provide relevant data for references and future use. Besides, the database will be compared with the inventory of existing systems to explore and analysis the differences for national greenhouse gas inventory in the central authority.
The results of residential and commercial sector in this project showed that a total of 121 residential and commercial sector as the main emissions sources. 23 schools were found as the highest main emission source, and followed by government offices, hospitals, office buildings, department stores discount stores, etc according to the build type classification. Top ten sources of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions with ordering were Taoyuan International Airport, National Central University, Tam-Kang Mall, Taiwan Mall Shopping Mall, National Nuclear Energy Center, the Pacific Sogo Department Store, Chung Yuan Catholic University, Yuan Ze University, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Lin-Kou and Taoyuan. Since there is no greenhouse gas inventory data at this moment, Ministry of Economic Affairs Non-manufacturing energy audit energy consumption statistical data was temporary applied to analyze. Hotels and storage of greenhouse gas emissions were found nearly 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions were indirectly by the use of electricity, whereas 90 ~ 99% greenhouse gas emissions in majority of building are derived through the use of electricity.
This project also plans to develop a reward system which proposes to set up a professional team to provide the carbon reduction solutions in order to help business and government departments to reduce carbon emissions and provide the best of carbon reduction methods. In addition, it also can assist to plan the economic incentive sand rewards for those participating business and government sector which able to enhance the residential and commercial sectors to reduce the greenhouse gas emission voluntary.
As the estimation of forest carbon sequestration, this project focused on one of the native species in Taiwan - Taiwan fir, to estimate complete presentation and assuming planting density 2000/ha. The total growing stock for stand age and forest carbon sequestration, and the change of age trend showed 20 years of age when the total forest stock volume was 4.17 × 105 tones CO2e/ha, carbon absorption capacity of 4.64 × 105 tones CO2e/ha. If Taoyuan County has a total emission of greenhouse gases, 3.66 × 103 million tonnes as a benchmark in 2006, the 20-year-old Taiwan fir will be about 1.27% of the absorption for greenhouse gas emissions, whereby planning sustainable forest 1 hectare per year to 20 year in a cycle, thus it is believed that 20 years in a cycle will absorb approximately 12% of greenhouse gas total emissions, which does not consider the rotation and replacement of natural vegetation and other factors. Although overestimated absorption has its danger, but it still provide the performance of the forestry sector which contribute to greenhouse gas reduction. Although the forestry sector carbon uptake by the proportion is not much high, but compared to the improvement of industrial structure and energy consumption could cause the economic shocks, afforestation and carbon reduction.
Two principles in the greenhouse gas emissions policy, Low-Carbon Economy and Co-Benefit are focused by European countries, United States and other countries. Low-Carbon Economy is an economy which has a minimal output of greenhouse gas emissions and focuses on the analysis of greenhouse gas emissions with the industrial structure and consumption patterns in order to promote sustainable consumption patterns and upgrade the industrial productivity. Therefore, it can achieve sustainable greenhouse gas reduction and win-win situation in economic development. Co-Benefit principle is designed to establish a good partnership to find the major sources of greenhouse gases and evaluate the environmental impacts. In addition, it also assists in enhancing and promoting private sector initiatives with capacity development and enhances the effectiveness of greenhouse gas reduction policies
In Taiwan, it was found that the pollutant load per unit area of China (factory and the number of vehicles density) higher than other countries. Consumption of fossil energy was the main reason of this problem. According to the inventory reduction plan results in 2007, industrials released the highest values of energy use emission in Taoyuan County which accounted 60% of the total county emissions, and SOx and NOx were the main source of the emissions. Therefore, in planning the county greenhouse gas reduction strategies, this project includes the two important principles (Low-Carbon Economy and Co-Benefit) to conduct full-reduction action plan in air, water, waste pollution and control measures.
This project follows national framework for sustainable development DSR greenhouse gas management system of indicators to set the targets of greenhouse gas management, and the management indicators are followed to the references from U.S. state of Washington King County and Canada, City of Prince George, sustainable development indicators of the Executive Yuan National sustainable development indicators, Taipei, Ping-Tung area, Kao-hsiung City, Kaoh-siung County, and Taoyuan County. In the mid-term report, the preliminary report calculated the greenhouse gas indicator results in six departments of 22 major indicators, and 31 auxiliary index, and some of Taoyuan County in year 2006.
After collecting the domestic carbon reduction status, the development the carbon reduction in Taoyuan County with rural and urban development trends in the basic profile and other related information, this project develops short, mid and long term carbon reduction strategies to Taoyuan County Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Urban and Rural Development, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works, Department of Business Development, Department of Water Supplies, Department of Agriculture, Department of Marketing, Department of Education and Social Service Agency Office. Besides, preliminary design toreduce carbon questionnaire and the implementation of the strategies to promote the construction and implementation of participatory methods will be referred as references.
