Lastest update: To support the establishment of the new ministry, several Acts have been issued on May 24, 2023, including:
Organization Act of the Ministry of Environment,
Organization Act of the Climate Change Administration, Ministry of Environment,
Organization Act of the Resource Circulation Administration, Ministry of Environment,
Organization Act of the Chemicals Administration, Ministry of Environment,
Organization Act of the Environmental Management Administration, Ministry of Environment, and
Organization Act of the National Environmental Research Academy.
They will come into force on August 22, 2023 (Official notice).
Taiwan will upgrade the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to a full-scale Ministry of Environment to respond to higher priority being placed on climate change and other pressing environmental challenges.
Efforts to elevate the administration upgrade have been underway since 2011. In 2012, a bill – Draft Organic Act for the Ministry of Environmental Resources, proposing the upgrade was introduced for negotiation. Although it was included in the legislative agenda from 2016 to 2018, the result was not satisfactory. Nevertheless, the renamed Draft Organic Act for the Ministry of Environment was reviewed in May 2022 and it unanimously passed the third reading on March 9. Finally, the EPA will be officially upgraded to a ministry after 12 years of efforts.
According to the Act, four specialized agencies will be established under the new ministry, including the Climate Change Agency, Resource Recycling Agency, Chemical Substance Management Agency, and Environmental Management Agency, as well as a National Environmental Research Institute.
The restructure of agencies, with increased budget and manpower, will aid in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, establishing a resource recycling system, strengthening the management of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste, and controlling pollution.
EPA Minister Chang Tzi-chin has expressed his hope that the new ministry can be inaugurated on August 22, which is the date when the EPA was originally established in 1987.
