Net-zero carbon emissions have become an international trend. The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) released the results of a survey on Taiwanese citizens' "Net-Zero Sustainable Behaviors" today (the 10th). The findings indicate that the most common carbon-reduction behaviors currently being implemented are "purchasing products with the Energy Efficiency Label or Level 1 Energy Efficiency Label" and "cutting the number of new clothing purchases annually by half." The survey also indicates that young people aged 18 to 24 have a lower rate of current carbon-reduction behaviors and a lower willingness to implement them in the future. ITRI urges the government to strengthen relevant education and promotion efforts to achieve the 2050 net-zero carbon emissions goal.
Survey on carbon reduction behavior in China: Buying energy-saving appliances and halving the number of new clothes each year are the most popular choices
Taiwan's goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but whether society as a whole can adapt and how to successfully transform has become the focus of current discussions. The Industrial Technology Research Institute held the "2022 Taiwan Manufacturing Business Outlook and Net-Zero Sustainability Focus Issues Presentation" today, at which it released the Taiwan Net-Zero Sustainability Behavior Survey [1], analyzing the willingness of Taiwanese people to reduce carbon emissions.
Lin Chih-hsun, Director of Energy Strategy at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), stated that changes in people's daily behaviors are key to initiating the net-zero transition. To achieve the government and industry's net-zero transition goals, it's crucial to understand Taiwanese people's perceptions and actual behaviors regarding net-zero sustainability. ITRI has developed 20 net-zero sustainability behaviors covering food, clothing, housing, transportation, entertainment, and supplies. A questionnaire survey was conducted among adults of different age groups, inquiring about their current implementation of these behaviors and their willingness to implement them in the future.
The survey found that Taiwanese citizens currently have low implementation rates for all 20 net-zero sustainability behaviors. Only two behaviors—"Buying only appliances with an Energy Efficiency Label or Level 1 Energy Efficiency Label" and "Cutting the number of new clothing items purchased annually by half"—had implementation rates exceeding 40%, representing the highest percentage of people. Other behaviors, such as "Replacing red meat with vegetarian options" and "Buying electric vehicles instead of gasoline-powered ones," all had implementation rates below 10%, demonstrating that people's lifestyles are still significantly short of achieving net-zero sustainability.
When further asked about their "willingness to implement these actions in the next two years," the top three actions that people are most likely to implement are "only purchasing appliances with an energy-saving label or a Level 1 energy efficiency label" (54%), followed by "purchasing and eating Taiwanese-produced and seasonal food" (51%), and "eating what you buy without throwing away anything (consume everything)" (44%). The implementation rates of other actions are relatively low.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/234285)
