To proactively address the challenges
of global climate change and rising temperatures, the Ministry of Environment
(MOENV) and National Chiayi University (NCYU) jointly launched the nation’s
first “National Land Green Canopy Climate Adaptation Plan and Wood Resource
Circularity Promotion Briefing.” According to the latest monitoring and
analysis by the Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, the
Chiayi region ranks among the areas with the highest heat stress risk in
Taiwan. Therefore, the MOENV selected NCYU as the first stop in a nationwide
series of 50 public engagement events, aiming to strengthen cross-domain
cooperation and mitigate urban heat hotspots through urban greening and tree
planting, thereby setting a new benchmark for Taiwan’s national land resilience.
During the briefing, MOENV
Minister Peng Chi-Ming noted that trees and urban forests provide the most
natural and cost-effective way to reduce urban temperatures. He further
emphasized that climate adaptation is a large-scale, systemic undertaking that
requires the active involvement of local governments, academia, businesses, and
the public. NCYU President Han-Chien Lin stated that, as a leading academic
institution in the region, NCYU has long been committed to advancing
cross-domain sustainable development and green research. He noted that NCYU was
honored to partner with the MOENV in undertaking this important national
mission and would continue to leverage its expertise to foster meaningful
dialogue between the government and the public, working together to build a
more resilient and sustainable national land.
In response to the increasingly
severe urban heat island effect, the MOENV plans to submit the six-year “National
Land Green Canopy Climate Adaptation Plan” to the Executive Yuan by the end of
this year. The plan will serve as the core blueprint for future national land
cooling, disaster risk reduction, and urban resilience initiatives. The
inaugural briefing held at NCYU not only focused on local heat challenges but
also explored how to build a long-term green circular ecosystem, with
discussions centered on putting greening policies into practice so they become
part of everyday life.
One of the key highlights of the
briefing was the introduction of three practical strategies designed to reshape
conventional approaches to greening through systematic and digital measures: 1.
Address the imbalance between planting and maintenance: Adopt the right tree,
right place approach while establishing professional, long-term maintenance
mechanisms to ensure the sustainable growth of green assets. 2. Establish a
nationwide tree adoption platform: Advance the “One Person, One Tree”
initiative by integrating modern digital management tools that enable citizens
and businesses to participate in, track, and maintain adopted trees. 3. Align
with the Resource Circulation Promotion Act: Establish a rigorous
classification and utilization system for wood resources to help develop a
comprehensive green resource circulation system for the reuse of green waste.
The event concluded successfully,
showcasing NCYU’s longstanding strengths in environmental protection,
University Social Responsibility (USR), and sustainability research. The
university will continue to play a key role in cross-sector communication and
technical support by integrating academic expertise with social resources to
help gradually implement the national land green canopy policy and create a
cooler, healthier, and safer ecological living environment for future
generations.
Photo 1: MOENV launched the
nation’s first briefing on the National Land Green Canopy Climate Adaptation
Plan at NCYU.
Photo 2: MOENV Minister Peng
Chi-Ming announced that Chiayi will serve as the starting point for 50 public
engagement events across Taiwan and that a six-year national plan will be
submitted by the end of the year to enhance national land resilience.