Press conference on the release of the 2024 just transition survey in Taiwan
Calls for greater attention to two challenges: net-zero emissions for workers, young people, and disadvantaged groups and the impact of climate change
- News Release
The Risk Society and Policy Research Center at National Taiwan University has released a report on the third just transition survey, calling for greater attention to two major challenges: net-zero emissions for workers, young people, and disadvantaged groups and the impact of climate change.
As extreme weather risks increase due to the impact of climate change, the world is facing the challenge of the transition to net-zero emissions. However, such a transition may cause harm. It is imperative to utilize mitigation and adaptation strategies to ensure a just transition in which no one is left behind. To achieve this goal, the Risk Society and Policy Research Center (RSPRC) at National Taiwan University has conducted surveys on just transitions for three consecutive years to inquire into how the public perceives and evaluates policies and agendas on climate change. The focus of this year's survey was subsidies and adaptation for young people, workers, and disadvantaged groups. While the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which recently concluded, mainly discussed climate change adaptation and climate financing, this survey attempted to examine globally trending topics from the perspective of Taiwan and offer suggestions for policymaking based on empirical research.
Survey results: many concerns among the public, profound effects of extreme weather and carbon reduction policies, and hopes for more government resources and attention
The participants of this year's survey were individuals aged 18 and older across Taiwan. From the perspective of social perception, the results show that 86.5% of the participants believe that Taiwan has severe income inequality. Regarding the transition to net-zero emissions, the greatest concern from the individual point of view is price increases, as noted by 61.1% of the participants, while the biggest concern for society as a whole is increased economic inequality, as stated by 46.5%.
With respect to perceptions about climate change, 80.9% of the participants are "worried" about global warming, with 45.5% being "highly worried." The participants believe that extreme events, such as heavy downpours, drought, and heat waves, have a "severe" impact on workers (79.9%) and low-income groups (71.0%). Most participants also "support" the government providing workers (90.1%) and low-income groups (86.2%) with more resources to cope with extreme weather.
With regard to the policy communication dimension, 62.1% of the participants lack a strong understanding of the government's carbon-reduction policies. Most people (64.6%) note that the carbon reduction pressure placed on industries by the government will be transferred to employees. Some participants (45.5%) believe that the policymaking process regarding net-zero emissions lacks a mechanism that involves the government, employers, and employees. Moreover, 59.8% of the participants believe that the policymaking process has failed to properly consider the opinions of the public. In addition, 93.7% of the participants agree that the development of carbon reduction policies should pay greater attention to the opinions of small and medium-sized enterprises (hereinafter referred to as "SMEs").
As the carbon fee program is to be implemented soon, according to the survey, 78.1% of the participants support the government collecting carbon fees from companies, and 70.8% support the government using carbon fees to subsidize companies in developing carbon reduction technologies and purchasing energy conservation equipment. However, 57.1% believe that collecting carbon fees will have a negative impact on Taiwan's economy and employment, and 62.3% note that collecting carbon fees will be detrimental to low-income groups. Therefore, most people support the government subsidizing the electricity cost (77.1%), traffic fees (68.9%), and living expenses (58.5%) of low-income groups.
Regarding job transitions and green job vacancies resulting from government efforts to promote net-zero emissions, 49.5% of the participants believe that net-zero emissions will create new relevant jobs in their regions, and 43.0% observe that, compared to current jobs, the new jobs created in net-zero emission efforts will provide better salaries. In addition, 44.8% of the participants believe that they will be able to adjust to the increasingly strict requirements on carbon reduction at work. Moreover, 85.1% agree that the government should fully subsidize job training in addition to providing unemployment benefits if individuals lose their jobs due to carbon-reduction policies.
Three suggestions: developing fair social distribution strategies, reinforcing policy communication mechanisms, and establishing a social climate fund
According to Kuei-Tien Chou (周桂田), director of the RSPRC, the COP29 has agreed on international carbon market standards, and Taiwan is about to launch carbon pricing (for carbon fee collection). In terms of the economic and social effects of the global efforts to pursue net-zero emissions, Taiwan, as a significant player in the global industrial chain, faces significant uncertainties. Furthermore, devastating climate disasters have an enormous influence on workers and low-income groups and bring about the issue of adaptation, highlighting the increasing economic disparities and income inequality in Taiwan. This survey report on just transitions was developed against such a background.
Based on the results of the survey released today (December 12, 2024), the RSPRC research team proposed three suggestions.
First, Taiwan should adjust its strategic positioning in the global industrial landscape with special attention to the social perception of severe income inequality, developing fairer social distribution measures at the market, industrial, and national levels.
Second, during the transition process to net-zero emissions, the negotiation and communication mechanisms among government, enterprises, and workers should be reinforced. Moreover, it is significant to pay more attention to and actively develop more channels to include young people, workers, and SMEs in the policymaking process for net-zero emissions.
Third, the government should respond to the COP29's proposal to establish a social climate fund (or a just transition fund) as soon as possible by following the Climate Change Response Act. The goal of the fund is to subsidize enterprises to develop carbon reduction technology, help SMEs reduce carbon emissions and innovate, bring more job and training opportunities for workers during the green transition process, and subsidize low- and medium-income individuals for electricity costs, traffic fees, and living expenses.
Experts' view: high-emission industries to pioneer, public services to be expanded, mechanism for dialogue to be law-based, and green job vacancies to adopt international standards
In response to the results of the survey, Tai Kuo-jung (戴國榮), president of the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions (TCTU), provided four suggestions, noting that the government should take action. First, the government should consistently reinforce policy promotion to enhance public perceptions and understanding of just transitions. Second, the government should promote the establishment of a social dialogue mechanism to ensure full information disclosure, developing measurable indicators across different phases and facilitating the training of talent as well as resource sharing. For example, the TCTU has established nine labor strategy committees for different industries to participate in government department dialogues involving stakeholders. The goal is to establish mechanisms for dialogue in different industries and sign group-based green agreements. Third, high-emission industries should be encouraged to act as pioneers in just transitions. In the future, leading enterprises and industries can be designated based on the guidelines for labor-related topics in just transitions developed by the Ministry of Labor to promote just transitions. Fourth, subsidies should be provided to affected enterprises, industries, and disadvantaged groups to support the enterprises and industries in successful transitions and ensure that the responsibilities of carbon reduction are not transferred to workers.
Ray Cheng (鄭中睿), director of Youth Labor Union 95, observed that the participants of this year's survey exhibit consistent attitudes toward net-zero emissions. They are concerned about the economic impact of net-zero emissions, worrying that collecting carbon fees from enterprises will increase the living expenses of individuals and families. On the overall economic level, such sentiment is presented as the concern that the economic disparities in Taiwan will increase due to net-zero emissions. Cheng noted that to address such concerns, government investment related to net-zero emissions should prioritize the expansion of public services to satisfy the daily needs of the public in accommodation and traffic. He also emphasized the need to minimize subsidies for private enterprises, cautioning against unjust transitions that risk turning net-zero emissions into a means of taking from the poor to benefit the rich.
Yu-fan Chiu (邱羽凡), an associate professor at the School of Law at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, suggested that the government to follow the steps of other countries and actively implement mechanisms to ensure a just transition while the public still embraces a positive attitude toward the government. It is imperative to proactively introduce a law-based mechanism for a three-party social dialogue and apply international standards of decent work to green job vacancies during the transition process. The government must avoid delays in policymaking during the early stages of the transition, ensuring that attention is not solely on corporate net-zero progress, thereby preventing the notion of a just transition from becoming an empty slogan.
Chou noted that before and after the COP29, countries are setting new objectives for the nationally determined contribution (NDC) to accelerate the pursuit of the carbon reduction goals set for 2030. As part of the global industrial chain, Taiwan faces significant challenges. First, it should join the carbon pricing system of major industrial countries, which it is late for. Second, it should address the upcoming changes in the international industrial landscape to be initiated by the new Trump government in the U.S. As a result, the fundamental strategy for Taiwan lies in strengthening its capacity and framework for an economic, social, and governmental transition and accelerating its progress through dynamic and balanced strategies. According to the results of the survey on net-zero emissions and climate adaptation, it is particularly essential to improve the dialogue, negotiation, and communication among the government, enterprises, and workers regarding topics including net-zero policy planning, industrial impact and transitions, and the influence of extreme weather on workers and low-income groups. A bottom-up design should be adopted for policy development to improve participatory governance, which improves the dissemination of policies among grassroots communities, allowing Taiwan to receive a new round of green transitions and cope with the impact and opportunities presented by climate adaptation.
Chou summarized that this survey provides valuable insight into how the new government and enterprises with international business can achieve just transitions for workers, young people, and disadvantaged groups under the two challenges of net-zero emissions and climate impact, ultimately enhancing the global green competitiveness of Taiwan's industries.
The survey was conducted from October 17 to October 25, 2024, targeting individuals aged 18 and older across Taiwan. The data collection involved both landline and mobile phone interviews and resulted in a total of 1,102 valid samples. With a 95% confidence level, the sampling error is estimated to be within ±2.95 percentage points.
For details about the data and analysis of the survey, please visit the official website of the RSPRC: https://rsprc.ntu.edu.tw/.
