Policies for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the road transportation sector in Taiwan

The urgency of global climate change has prompted governments worldwide to seek effective strategies, with reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions being crucial in any comprehensive emission reduction plan. This study focuses on exploring policies to mitigate carbon emissions from Taiwan's road transportation sector, with a target of reducing emissions to 50% below the 2005 level by 2050. We consider four policy scenarios: (1) maintaining business-as-usual (BAU), (2) banning vehicle sales, (3) implementing an energy tax rate, and (4) adopting “Personal Gasoline Rationing” policy. Among them, the personal gasoline usage policy is a novel policy approach which aims to limit gasoline consumption by regulating personal gasoline usage. Our analysis underscores the complex interplay of policies and their potential impacts. We found that existing policies present challenges in meeting the 2050 target, the “personal gasoline rationing” policy shows an opportunity in achieving emission reduction goals. Therefore, we hope that through this study, we can offer more room for practical discussions and a more pragmatic approach to consider the direction of policy formulation. This way, the goals of emission reduction can be achieved, making a modest contribution to addressing climate change.