The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in Egypt, brought together government officials, private enterprises, and organizations from around the world. Taiwan was also present at this climate conference. The Delta Electronics Foundation, a long-term participant in UN climate conferences since 2007, organized a dual-themed topic around the concept of "islands," sharing its climate mitigation measures and ecological adaptation concepts with the international community.
This year, Delta was the only Taiwanese group to participate in the "Action Hub," sharing its coral restoration experience and discussing diverse topics with international experts, including heat-resistant genes and blue carbon. Furthermore, at a "Side Event," Delta engaged with representatives from the Spanish island governments and experts from the renowned American energy think tank RMI. Delta leveraged its own energy storage experience to address challenges facing island energy transitions, addressing the needs of the two Spanish islands for energy transition and providing insights into building grid resilience.
Delta participated in a side event and an action initiative forum held on the same day. The latter was Delta's first application to host, making it the only Taiwanese organization to pass the qualification review. Unlike traditional meetings, the action initiative forum took place within the official negotiation area, allowing participants to freely participate in a semi-open space.
Delta's proposal echoed the coral restoration initiative being actively promoted by host country Egypt, exploring scientific methods for observing and restoring corals, genetic research on heat-resistant corals, and blue carbon ecosystems. Delta collaborated with experts from the Taiwan Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, the Partnership for Observation of Global Oceans (POGO), and the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), receiving enthusiastic responses from international opinion leaders on site.
Delta Foundation CEO Chang Yang-gan pointed out that Delta has achieved its goal of planting 1,000 corals ahead of schedule by the end of this year. In the next three years, it will continue to collaborate with the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquariums, the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, and conservation groups to strive for the goal of planting 10,000 corals in three years.
In addition to supporting basic research on heat-resistant corals and ensuring genetic diversity, Delta continues to invest in its LED lighting, automation, and other technological equipment. The hope is to race against time to ensure that the biodiversity of Taiwan's oceans, facing increasingly frequent marine heatwaves, does not collapse overnight and that it can gradually recover after achieving net zero.
Chen Dehao, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, also traveled to Egypt to share Taiwan's research progress on cultivating heat-resistant coral seedlings and genetic preservation. Chen stated that the museum will focus on the selection and cultivation of heat-resistant corals, hoping to build the museum into a "Coral Ark," where corals can be cultivated live, stored as a gene bank, and preserved as a provenance.
This year's advocacy symposium also featured international expert Margaret Leinen, a representative of the Partnership for Global Ocean Observations (POGO), who shared insights on the Ocean Biomolecular Observation Network (OBON) and how observations can contribute to coral reef ecosystems. Meanwhile, Yuxuan Yeh, Project Director of the Environmental Justice Foundation, addressed the issue of ocean blue carbon assets, further explaining how healthy blue carbon ecosystems can sequester and isolate carbon, contributing to climate change mitigation.
Delta also shared its recent collaboration with Asia University and FAB DAO (Formosa Art Bank) on the "Algorithmic Coral Art NFT," hoping to raise public awareness through diverse topics. Delta also set up a booth in the COP27 negotiation area, showcasing its coral restoration equipment, attracting numerous international climate advocates.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/235481)
