Abstract
Since establishment of the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) in 1997, striking a balance between environmental protection and economic development has turned into one of the largest policy debates in Taiwan. In February 2005, the Kyoto Protocol entered into force and nine months later a historical first meeting of the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 1) was held in Montreal. The unusual thing is that in the struggle for precedence between the many policy issues under public debate, global warming has not received the attention it deserves. Instead, disastrous damage tends to be handled after the crisis has occurred. Frequent elections have not only failed to initiate a policy debate, they have actually led to the further marginalization of environmental issues. This paper discusses the main outcomes of Taiwan’s first and second national conferences on energy; explores possible institutional changes from bargaining approach. Finally, it argues that Taiwan has been “responding to” rather than “preparing for” this extremely complex and ambitious international treaty. And, it is all about adaptation.
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