For two weeks starting from November 10, Brazil will host the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference will take place in Belém, a city located in the Amazon rainforest, to underscore the importance of nature-based solutions and biodiversity issues to the global community. COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago has announced that adaptation will be a central theme of the conference, citing the devastation caused by extreme weather events around the world as an attestation to the urgency for countries to strengthen their resilience against the menaces of the climate crisis. 

10 environmental organizations and over 60 cross-sector civil society groups—ranging from labor, ecological protection, Indigenous rights, youth and children’s rights, to social welfare—have come together to organize the “March for Climate - Building a Resilient Taiwan” on November 1. The march calls on people from all walks of life to unite in support for stronger climate action, specifically around its 12 demands across 3 key pillars of resilience: namely, “Building Sustainability and Intergenerational Justice”, “Strengthening National Security and Energy Resilience”, and “Deepening Democratic and Cultural Resilience”. The coalition urges the government to better incorporate climate adaptation into post-disaster reconstruction initiatives in order to strengthen Taiwan’s capacity for adaptation and truly realize the vision to “build back better” towards a society that is better prepared and more united in the face of escalating climate risks.

At a press conference jointly held by the Mom Loves Taiwan Association, youth representatives from Pacific island nations, Indigenous organizations, and environmental groups, Huang Pin-Han, Secretary-General of the Mom Loves Taiwan Association, emphasized that extreme weather events such as floods caused by heavy rainfall or super typhoons and heat injuries brought by rising temperatures have growingly become part of daily life in Taiwan. She argued that Taiwan’s conventional approaches to disaster prevention and mitigation must be reassessed in the face of compound disasters, which require effective coordination mechanisms and platforms of communication between, as well as regulations and budget support from, central and local governments. She stressed that, in order to address the threats that climate change poses to the natural environment and human survival, climate adaptation must encompass three key dimensions of cross-sector and multi-level policy collaboration, adaptation engineering and technologies, and nature-based local solutions that prioritize social resilience and multiculturalism. In the meantime, post-disaster reconstruction efforts should serve as crucial opportunities to build for a more resilient future. 

Dr. Chia-wei Chao, Research Director at the Taiwan Climate Action Network Research Center, cited President Lai Ching-te’s remarks at the Resilient Taiwan for Sustainable Democracy International Forum on September 20 that disasters triggered by extreme climate events and military threats from authoritarian regimes are the two major challenges facing Taiwan today. Efforts over the past year have amounted to quite some progress, with the Ministry of Environment establishing the “High Temperature Adaptation Strategy Alliance” and developing a heat resilience map, the Ministry of Labor increasing subsidies for cooling equipments across various workplaces, and local governments drafting adaptation implementation plans under the Climate Act’s requirement. However, Dr. Chao identified the ambiguous division of responsibilities, lack of concrete targets, and insufficient budgets as the three major challenges that remain in Taiwan’s adaptation strategy.

Among the demands of this year’s March of Climate, we have proposed “Implement[ing] Land Planning and Collaboration to Build Equitable Green Energy and Climate Resilience” and “Address[ing] Climate Change Risks by Enhancing Adaptation and Recovery Capabilities” to strengthen Taiwan’s adaptation policy. The top priority now is for the drafting process of next year’s National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan to reflect the progress of the Global Goal on Adaptation and set sector-specific adaptation targets with adequate funding allocations. As local governments now play an even more critical role in adaptation following the recent passage of the Fiscal Planning Act, Dr. Chao urged all candidates for city mayors, county magistrates, and local councillors to include local adaptation policies in their platforms and play their part in enhancing our national resilience. 

Ching-Ting Huang, Deputy Executive Director of the Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, stated that Taiwan has recently faced a series of compound disasters, including the April 3 earthquake, Typhoon Danas, the July 28 torrential rains, and the overflow of the Matai’an creek’s barrier lake in September. The compounding factors of intense rainfall, landslides, and large-scale collapses have made disaster response increasingly complex, while severely damaging critical infrastructures and living spaces across affected communities. Huang urged the government to integrate fundamental data on precipitation patterns, flood and inundation risks, geological conditions and public infrastructure into comprehensive risk assessments, which should then become part of the National Spatial Planning framework to align land-use guidance and management with risk adaptation strategies. Transparent and detailed community-level communication is also critical in raising awareness among local residents on specific risks and means through which they can enhance their own disaster response capacities.

Huang also noted that the Typhoon Danas disaster underscored the importance of regional microgrids, while the Matai’an barrier lake overflow revealed the need for bottom-up approaches to risk communication. Beyond strengthening local infrastructures and their ability to operate independently and community self-help and mutual aid networks, Huang called for the government to establish resource-sharing mechanisms that connect citizens local governments, and central authorities, as building island-wide social and climate resilience is a challenge that every person in Taiwan must face — and one we must work together to achieve.

Yapit Tali, Director at the Taiwan Association of Indigenous Social Work, affirmed that, while climate change has altered the ways in which Indigenous peoples have traditionally experienced the land and shortened the intervals between disasters, traditional knowledge—passed down for generations from elders who have always seen humans as co-dependent on Mother Earth and responsible for caring for her—remain instrumental in informing our approaches to adapt and respond to such disasters. 

Yapit Tali shared that, as a people living in the mountains, Indigenous tribes have always observed the flow of water and the condition of roads during every rainfall and tried to find their own solutions accordingly. Sustainability here refers not only to the economics but also to the spaces we live in, the ecological ethics we abide by, and the social spaces we hold; traditional knowledge informs how people live and interact with their surroundings. The “climate governance” and “biodiversity” that we now speak of are all part of this traditional knowledge. Hence, Yapit Tali called for climate governance, just transition policies, and climate justice to incorporate Indigenous peoples’ lived experiences and restore their relationship with the land through land governance, cultural preservation, and self-determination. 

She lamented that in recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Matai’an overflow, the role of the tribal people has been lost. In the past, tribal people have cared for their elderly and children through their own means of governance and relationship with the land, relationships which are deemed merely informal in the modern state. Better communication is direly needed to incorporate tribal voices on issues such as relocation and transitional housing. Building resilience is not just about data; it must incorporate care for the tribe, tribal relationships with the land, local knowledge, and tribal participation. 

Yun-fang Wu, Co-Executive Director of the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition, condemned the slow pace of decarbonization as the reason behind the growing frequency and severity of climate disasters. As this is now the reality in which we live, Wu stressed upon the need to acknowledge the importance of adaptation, as it is not only about how we respond to disasters but also how every person and their children will live in a changing world over the next 5 to 7 decades. 

Wu explained that one of the key negotiation topics at COP30 is the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). If the negotiations go well, it is expected to produce around 100 adaptation indicators, including those that would ensure the incorporation of local knowledge and Indigenous wisdom, protection of cultural heritage and traditional practices from climate risks, and promotion of nature-based adaptation approaches that enable ecosystems themselves to become a source of protection for people.

Wu further noted that under the United Nations’ framework, in addition to Loss and Damage in the economic sense, “non-economic losses” that encompass elements such as lives, health, cultural heritage, local knowledge, and social identity is also an important concept. She cited the recent Matai’an barrier lake overflow as a case that illustrates the importance of this perspective: post-disaster recovery efforts that only focus on resettling affected residents without including local communities’ cultural spaces and relationships with the land will never be complete. True recovery must take into account climate risks, land use, and social impacts, while ensuring that local residents are meaningfully involved in the rebuilding process.

Sharon Niuatui, a student from Tuvalu, provided a personal testimony on the human impacts of the climate crisis. “How do you stay proud of who you are, when you are forced to leave the place that made you?” she asked as she recounted the simpler days in her childhood when she could climb trees, run in the rain, and swim outdoors without a care in the world—which have become privileges that her younger brother no longer holds in a warming world with heavier rain, dirtier seawater, and school days that get cancelled due to flooding. Climate change is not about numbers or graphs, but the loss of childhood. 

While the Tuvaluan government has worked hard to help its citizens migrate with dignity, by signing the Falepili Treaty with Australia, for many Tuvaluans, leaving home is not an option, as that would mean losing their culture and identity. Sharon emphasized that no one wishes to become a second-class citizen in a foreign land and called on world leaders to support the Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty, so that her younger brother and future generations can continue to enjoy the uniqueness of Tuvaluan culture. “To save the world is to save Tuvalu”. 

Huang Pin-Han, Secretary-General of the Mom Loves Taiwan Association, building on the reminders from Sharon and Yapit on the profound connections between people, culture, and the land, implored the government to carefully evaluate all possible approaches to post-disaster reconstruction and to not hastily resort to relocation as the default solution. The organizations behind the march will continue to monitor the implementation of the Special Act for Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Following Typhoon Danas and the July 28 Torrential Rainfall, as well as legislative negotiations surrounding the Special Act for Typhoon Ragasa currently underway in the Legislative Yuan. Huang also called on the Executive Yuan to tap on the synergies between the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act and the Climate Change Response Act, so that laws, regulations, and policy tools at all levels of government can work together to strengthen the nation’s climate adaptation and post-disaster recovery capacities for a more resilient Taiwan.

3 Major Resilience Themes and 12 Demands

1️⃣Building Sustainable Resilience and Intergenerational Justice

1. Uphold Taiwan’s nuclear phase-out and raise decarbonization targets to keep global warming below 1.5°C

2. Implement land-use planning and coordination to ensure fair access to green energy and build climate resilience

3. Leverage ecological expertise and local knowledge to protect, restore, and manage ecosystems and biodiversity

4. Defend children and youth’s rights to be heard, to access legal remedy, and to participate in climate decision-making processes

5. Enforce the polluter-pays principle to enhance low-carbon industrial competitiveness

2️⃣Strengthening National Security and Energy Resilience

1. Reduce dependence on imported energy and enhance energy security and autonomy

2. Mobilize all industries and sectors to adapt to climate impacts and protect our shared future

3. Confront climate change risks and strengthen Taiwan’s climate adaptation and disaster recovery capabilities 

3️⃣Deepening Democratic and Cultural Resilience

1. Build inclusive support systems to ensure a just transition that protects local communities and decent work

2. Promote democratic participation in renewable energy development to minimize social conflicts

3. Defend tribal land sovereignty and realize environmental justice

4. Reject wars that perpetuate the climate crisis and cease funding genocidal regimes

March Information

1. Date and Time：November 1 (Saturday), 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

2. Assembly Point：East Gate Plaza, Taipei City Hall

3. March Route：Starting from City Hall East Gate Plaza — through Songshou Plaza Park — turning into Xiangti Avenue — Songshou Road — Songzhi Road — Xinyi Road Section 5 — Shifu Road — Songgao Road — Songzhi Road — and returning to the East Gate Plaza of City Hall.

Total distance：2.14 km.

4. Stage Features：With Taipei 101 as the visual backdrop, the main stage will be built using recycled materials and natural plant elements, creating an eco-friendly and sustainable design.

5. March Highlights：The Taipei Samba Drum Team will lead the march, blending Brazilian traditions with Taiwanese culture to create a unique local samba experience.

6. Main Stage Performances：In addition to short talks on key climate issues, rapper From A to the Z will deliver a lyrical interpretation of our vision for the future; tap dancers from New York’s Choreographers’ Carnival will perform a distinctive take on climate action; and Little Nest Band will bring a fusion of folk and jazz music to the stage.

7. Booth Area：Hosted by various civil society organizations, featuring a family-friendly zone with environmental storybook reading and a “Little Solar Engineer” interactive game for children.

Official march website: https://neti.cc/ZmEK9Lo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tw4climate/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tw4climate/

Petition link: https://tinyurl.com/4atj36mw

March Organizers (10 organizations):Taiwan Climate Action Network Research Center, Green Citizens’ Action Alliance, Citizen of the Earth Taiwan, Environmental Rights Foundation, Homemakers United Foundation, Mom Loves Taiwan Climate Action Alliance, Taiwan Environmental & Planning Association, Greenpeace, Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition, and Amnesty International Taiwan.

Co-organizing Groups :(62 + additional partners to be announced)

The Society of Wilderness; Environmental Justice Foundation; Environmental Jurists Association; Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance; Taiwan Rivers Network; Taiwan Eco Tech Association; Trust in Nature Foundation; Taiwan Thousand Miles Trial Association; Environmental Ethics Foundation of Taiwan; Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association; Taiwan Labor Front; Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Link; National Association for Firefighters’ Rights; Taiwan Equality Campaign; Taiwan Association for Human Rights; Judicial Reform Foundation; Forward Alliance; The Association of Parent Participating Education in Taiwan; Coastline Environmental Protection Association; Ngóo-kak; Wanderers Lodge; Coalition for the Homeless; Dashuigou Second-hand Shop; Tainan Sprout; Yuanli Hi Home; Association for Indigenous Peoples’ Policies; Indigenous Youth Front Taiwan; The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan; M.mutica in Action, Taiwan; Social Science Seed Association; Taiwan Alliance for a Free Palestine; Taiwan Environmental Protection Union; Dragonfly Association of Taiwan; Taiwan Walk for Wildlife; Independent Living Association, Taipei; Kuma Academy; Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights; Vision Zero Taiwan; Citizen Congress Watch; NTU Dalawasao; NTU Continent; Taiwan Indigenous Youth Public Participation Association; Fridays for Future Taiwan; Solutions for Our Climate; Protect Our Winters Taiwan; Taiwan Watch Institute; Treehuggers Taiwan; Taiwan Citizens’ Independent Power Generation Alliance; Green Advocates Energy Cooperative; RE-THINK; Taiwan Friends of the Global Greens; Taiwan International Workers Association; Asia Citizen Future Association; World United Formosans for Independence; Independent Living Taiwan; NTU Climate Action Club; NCCU Green24 Sustainability Club; Action to Defend Student Rights in Taiwan; 350 Taiwan; Everything Starts Small Taiwan Chapter; Taiwan Forever Association; JGD Island; Hsin-Chu Community College  (more to be announced…)