In response to Earth Day on April 22, officials from Taipei’s Economic and Cultural office and Prague’s government officials organized the “Earth Day Talk: Roundtable on Climate Change Mitigation and Circular Economy” which attracted more than 500 viewers to livestream the broadcast.
In the discussion, Circular Taiwan Network’s Chairman Charles Y. Huang, former Czech’s Minister of Environment Martin Bursik, Chairman of the Circular Economy Steering Committee at the City of Prague Vojtěch Vosecký, Taiwan’s EPA Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substances Management Director-General Tsai Ling-yi, International Climate Development Institute (ICDI)’s CEO Zhao Gong-yue, and other environmental specialists exchanged information regarding topics including circular economy and carbon reduction strategies. The parties also expressed their interest in possibly cooperating together in the future.
In his speech, Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu emphasized that climate change is not only an environmental issue, it can also threaten international peace and the health of humans.
Zdeněk Hřib, mayor of Prague, believes climate change and sustainability are issues that require international cooperation between countries. Hřib also highlighted that circular economy is an important aspect of Prague’s environmental policy.
Circular Taiwan Network’s ChairmanCharles Y. Huang discussed how in the last three decades, efforts to improve upon the issue of climate change have been minimal and slow. Even though environmental specialists and discussions have all called for the reduction of carbon emissions, economic specialists and discussions focused on economic growth have proposed strategies that often resulted in higher carbon emissions. These conflicting suggestions have slowed down efforts to tackle climate change.
In the next three decades, through discussions focused on a circular economy, countries must cooperate with one another to discuss economic and environmental policies and concerns together. Taiwan and Czech Republic have worked together in different fields including technology, education, trade, and pandemic prevention. In the future, Taiwan and Czech Republic can cooperate on generating environmental policies and implementing a circular economy.
Through a Circular Economy, Prague will be Transformed into a Resilient City
In 2019, Prague has published the Circular Prague report, hoping through a circular economy, Prague will be able to transform into a more vibrant, healthier, and more resilient city.
Through a Circle City Scan which is a tool used to identify opportunities for development and propose develop plans for a circular economy, cities can use this tool to look to implement a circular economy.
