TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Environment (MOE, 環境部) has launched a new initiative to promote green living among the public by designing a "Life Carbon Footprint Calculator" (生活碳足跡計算工具). This tool, expected to roll out by the end of 2024, will estimate users' carbon hotspots in their daily lives and provide suggestions for reducing emissions.
Chou Wen-hsuan (周雯萱), a section chief at the MOE's Department of Comprehensive Planning (環境部綜合規劃司), told the Central News Agency that the calculator would initially cover areas such as residential energy use, transportation, diet, daily necessities, and other consumption aspects. She noted that due to the complexity of the parameters, the tool might first implement calculations for transportation and diet by year-end.
Chou explained that the calculator serves an educational function, estimating an individual's annual carbon emissions. She emphasized the numbers provided by the calculator are not absolute values and cannot be verified, but it can calculate carbon emission hotspots, allowing those who want to reduce their carbon footprint to start with the higher-emission areas.
Since 2020, the MOE has promoted a green lifestyle for all. They found that direct and indirect carbon emissions from the public total approximately 66.8%, with dietary consumption accounting for about 16.8%. Each person emits around 1,838 kilograms of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) from their diet annually.
The International Energy Agency (IEA, 國際能源總署) reported in its "Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector" (2050淨零：全球能源部門路徑圖) that behavioral changes will only start significantly reducing carbon emissions after 2030. The primary focus until then is to raise public awareness about their carbon footprint.