Kaohsiung Launches 26 Carbon Credit Projects; Mayor Chen: Transforming Carbon Liabilities into Assets

The Kaohsiung City Government held the 'Kaohsiung City Carbon Credit Program and Carbon Asset Practice Forum' this morning (31st) at the Net Zero Academy, inviting representatives from industry, government, and academia to jointly explore carbon credit systems and practical carbon asset management. Mayor Chen Chi-mai attended and delivered a keynote speech, emphasizing that the government should take the lead in promoting carbon credit programs and gain firsthand understanding of the challenges in the net-zero transition through practical implementation, serving as a crucial foundation for future policy refinement.

Kaohsiung is pioneering nationwide with its 'One Bureau, One Carbon Credit Project' initiative, gradually transforming emission reduction achievements into carbon assets. Currently, city departments have proposed 26 carbon credit projects. The forum also invited representatives from the Taiwan Carbon Exchange, National Tsing Hua University, China Steel Corporation, and others to share experiences in carbon management and net-zero transformation, exchanging practical outcomes on carbon credit implementation.

Mayor Chen stated that the establishment of the Net Zero Academy aims not only to serve as a platform for industrial decarbonization technology exchange but also to fulfill roles in talent cultivation and policy think tank functions. In alignment with the central government’s Climate Change Response Act, Kaohsiung has taken the lead in enacting the 'Kaohsiung City Net Zero City Development Autonomous Ordinance,' establishing institutional foundations such as carbon budgeting, carbon management, and technical platforms, continuously improving its net-zero governance framework.

He emphasized that advancing carbon credit programs is not merely about understanding the system but more importantly about direct participation in practical operations. By accumulating carbon asset management experience through public infrastructure and policy initiatives, Kaohsiung aims to gradually transform its historical 'carbon burden' into 'carbon assets.' To date, training programs at the Net Zero Academy have exceeded 9,000 participants, and over 3,000 professional certifications have been jointly issued with international institutions. Mayor Chen himself has obtained four net-zero-related professional certifications, hoping to inspire more public and private sector engagement in the net-zero transition.

Mayor Chen noted that industrial sector emissions account for approximately 80% of the city's total carbon output, making industrial decarbonization and energy transition key to achieving net zero. He expressed gratitude to enterprises such as China Steel and ASE Group for actively cooperating with city policies, working together toward sustainable development and net-zero emission goals.

During the forum, the Kaohsiung Net Zero Academy officially received its Carbon Neutrality and Carbon Footprint Verification Statement, certified by verification bodies BSI and AFNOR. This marks another significant step forward for Kaohsiung in building carbon credit systems and managing carbon assets, steadily advancing toward its vision of becoming a net-zero governance and green economy city.