The National Environmental Research Academy (NERA) hosted the "Towards the Future: International Forum and Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation and Environmental Governance" and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korea Climate Change Center on September 9 and 10, 2025.

Through this forum, NERA enhanced exchanges and cooperation with international partners, broadening channels of information sharing and research capacity. By signing the MOU with KCCC, future collaboration will be deepened in areas such as climate education and public engagement, climate policy research and strategy development, adaptation and mitigation projects, as well as capacity building and knowledge sharing. NERA emphasized that this initiative not only supports international diplomacy on climate issues but also strengthens education, policy research, and knowledge exchange in the field of climate change.

The forum featured a keynote speech by Minister of Environment, Minister Chi-Ming Peng, who highlighted Taiwan’s concrete actions in addressing extreme climate events, particularly high-temperature adaptation measures. Initiatives include the “Cool Map” project to investigate and analyze urban heat island effects, supporting local governments in planning cooling green infrastructure and resilient communities, while promoting cross-ministerial cooperation to mitigate the health and social impacts of extreme heat. The discussions also underlined the importance of weather forecasting in disaster risk reduction, intersectoral collaboration, energy challenges and resilience, and local implementation of adaptation actions, demonstrating Taiwan’s comprehensive efforts in climate change adaptation.

Since its establishment, the Ministry of Environment has prioritized climate change adaptation, environmental governance, and resource circulation. NERA has actively advanced scientific research cooperation and cross-ministerial collaboration, with notable achievements including the establishment of the National Climate Change Data Integration and Information Service Platform, the development of recycled polyester upgrading technology, on-site pollution tracing technologies, and studies on emerging pollutants and toxicology.

The forum brought together senior scholars from the EU, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, along with representatives from the Ministry of Environment’s Climate Change Administration, Resource Circulation Administration, and Chemicals Administration, as well as the National Science and Technology Council, Water Resources Agency, National Land Management Agency, Central Weather Administration, Academia Sinica, Industrial Technology Research Institute, National Taiwan University, Chung Yuan Christian University, National Central University, local Environmental Protection Bureaus, and other experts. In total, the event featured 22 presentations and 20 poster sessions.

NERA expressed its expectation that through the dialogue and collaboration fostered at this forum, Taiwan will continue to advance in the three key areas of climate change adaptation, environmental governance, and resource circulation, taking concrete action to address global climate challenges.