According to the "Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act" ("GHG Management Act"), the MOENV proposed the "National Climate Change Action Guidelines" ('Action Guidelines"), which was approved by the Executive Yuan in February 2017 as the main directive of Taiwan's climate change adaptation policy. In 2018, the Ministry worked with the NDC and 15 other ministries and councils to formulate the "National Climate Change Response Action Program (2018-2022)," which was based on the "Action Guidelines" and referred to the results of the "National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan (2013-2017)." The program was approved by the Executive Yuan in September 2019. It extended its precedent's division of areas and added one, "capability building;" 126 action plans were proposed under the nine areas, 71 of which were selected as priorities by ministries, councils, and administrations. According to the "GHG Management Act," adaptation result reports are produced every year.
To ensure international connectivity in climate change impact response, accelerate and reinforce Taiwan's adaptation and reduction progress, and develop sustainably, the MOENV proposed the amendment bill for the "Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act" in 2021, proposing to rename it "Climate Change Response Act," add a dedicated chapter on climate change adaptation that focuses on basic capability building, scientific research and predictions, as well as structuring policy implementation. The dedicated chapter clearly defines the adaptation capability building items the government should promote and includes the responsibility for citizens, businesses, and organizations to actively participate. The chapter also reinforces scientific research by having the central scientific competent authority consolidate climate change science, scenarios, and risk information as well as regularly publish scientific reports on climate change, while other government departments are to conduct climate change risk assessments to use as bases for adaptation strategies. Meanwhile, the central industry competent authority formulates the "Sector Adaptation Action Plan," the central competent authority formulates, consolidates, and drafts the "National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan," and local governments formulate "Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Programs" as adaptation strategies tailored to local needs.
The "Climate Change Response Act" ("Climate Act") was promulgated on Feb. 15, 2023. According to Article 19, the government shall formulate four-year sector adaptation action plans for areas vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and consolidate them into current "National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plans." To improve the issue of the disaster area's characteristics and attributes overlapping with other areas, in the current plan areas are re-divided, and the "disaster" area is consolidated into other areas. The plan therefore includes capability-building and seven other areas and 126 action plans, 68 of which are selected as priorities by ministries, councils, and administrations. According to the "Climate Act," adaptation result reports are produced every year.
According to Article 19, Paragraph 4 of the "Climate Act," central industry competent authorities responsible for areas vulnerable to the impacts of climate change are to formulate adaptation action program performance reports yearly and submit them to the central competent authority, which shall report to the Executive Yuan for approval. Once approved, the reports shall be published.
