GHG Inventory
Taiwan has carried out the statistics and compilation of greenhouse gas inventory in accordance with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) as well as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). The sources of emission and removal of greenhouse gases are divided into five sectors, comprising energy, industrial process and product use (IPPU), agriculture, waste, as well as land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sectors.
Of all the sectors, the energy sector has long been the one accounting for the largest total greenhouse gas emission in Taiwan over the years. In 2005 and 2021, greenhouse gas emissions (exclude LULUCF) from energy sectors were responsible for approximately 85.99% and 90.55% of the total emissions, while the IPPU sector accounted for 10.12% and 7.46%, the agricultural sector accounted for 1.37% and 1.09%, and the waste sector accounted for 2.52% and 0.90%.
The total greenhouse gas emission in Taiwan in 2021 increased by 4.19% compared with 2020. In particular, the GHG emission from the energy sector was up by 3.71%, the IPPU sector was up by 11.93%, the agriculture sector was down by 3.32%, and the waste sector was up by 2.92%. Additionally, the carbon dioxide sequestration of the LULUCF sector was down by 0.25%.
Compared to 2005(Base year), the emission in 2021 increased by 2.22%. In particular, the GHG emission from the energy sector was up by 7.64%, the IPPU sector was down by 24.64%, the agriculture sector was down by 18.56%, and the waste sector was down by 63.44%. Additionally, the carbon dioxide sequestration of the LULUCF sector was down by 1.97%.
The comparison of statistics on various greenhouse gas emissions shows that carbon dioxide accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions (excluding LULUCF) in Taiwan in 2005, accounting for 91.71%, followed by methane (3.27%), nitrous oxide (1.48%),and fluorinated greenhouse gas (3.54%); however, carbon dioxide was still the largest of proportion (95.32%) in 2021, followed by methane (1.82%), nitrous oxide (1.50%), and then fluorinated greenhouse gas (1.36%).
The total GHG emissions in Taiwan had decreased by 290,551 kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalents from 285,071 kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2005 to 2020, with 1.89% reduction in emissions；due to the economic recovery affected by the epidemic, it rebounded slightly to 297,007 kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2021, an increase of 2.22% over 2005 with an average annual growth rate of 0.14%.
Compared to 2005(Base year), carbon dioxide emissions grew by 6.25%; methane emissions decreased by 53.16%; nitrous oxide emissions grew by 25.89% and fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 60.83%.
The National Inventory Report of the Republic of China (Taiwan) carried out the statistics and compilation in accordance with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines to actively demonstrate the efforts and resolution to abide by the convention. The National Inventory Report (NIR) was firstly published in 2014 and updated annually. Taiwan has established a greenhouse gas inventory database covering the period from 1990 to 2021 in the NIR 2023. The database provides an overview of greenhouse gas inventory statistics to reflect the GHG trends in Taiwan.