TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) on Tuesday (Nov. 14) pledged that if elected president, he would work to fully ban all gas-powered vehicles in Taiwan by 2045.

While visiting Chyi Ding Technologies (奇鼎科技) in Hsinchu County's Hukou Township that afternoon, Hou praised the firm's forward-looking technological research and development achievements amid its energy conservation and carbon reduction efforts, reported Liberty Times. Hou then announced details of his proposed environmental protection and sustainability policies.

Hou said that this would include the phasing out of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles and other modes of transportation in stages. He emphasized that measures will be steadily introduced to reduce emissions and eliminate carbon from mobile pollution sources.

In addition, he said that there will be an accelerated effort to promote clean and circular production processes, aiming to establish an industrial model of "zero waste from recycling." The plan involves a ban on gas-powered vehicles for government use by 2035 and a comprehensive prohibition of such vehicles in transportation overall by 2045.

Hou said that in order to respond to the new challenges posed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including measures such as carbon sequestration, carbon fees, and carbon border tariffs, his administration will provide guidance to businesses on their overall carbon reduction and upgrading plans. He said his government will provide diverse forms of support for manufacturers, establish a joint service center for corporate carbon health checks, proactively inspect greenhouse gas emissions from small and medium-sized enterprises, and provide free energy-saving diagnoses.

In addition, Hou said a "Social Climate Fund" will be set up to subsidize low-income households, support smart green energy infrastructure, and invest in renewable energy. Based on the principle of fairness and justice, the funding for this initiative will come from the collection of carbon fees and will be dedicated solely to these purposes, said Hou.

He said that last but not least, a "National Land Planning Research Institute" will be established as an administrative legal entity to formulate urban plans and the effective use of national land for the next 50 years.