Taipei: Baishatun Gongtian Temple in Miaoli County has set a precedent by becoming the first temple in Taiwan to offer visitors the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions through the retirement of Gold Standard (GS) carbon credits. This initiative marks a significant step towards sustainable tourism and environmental responsibility within the religious sector.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Tourism Innovation Association of Taiwan (TIATW) announced in a recent news release that visitors to the Mazu temple generate an average of 0.04 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). This data, researched by National Taiwan University's Huang Wen-hung and verified by the Sustainable Tourism Research Center at the Taipei City University of Science and Technology, highlights the environmental impact of temple visits.
The new scheme allows government agencies, businesses, schools, organizations, and religious groups visiting the temple for various purposes to apply for the retirement of carbon credits based on the number of participants. To address unavoidable emissions, participants can purchase carbon credits equivalent to their carbon footprint and retire them, as explained by TIATW Chairman Lee Chi-yueh.
TIATW has collaborated with the Miaoli County government's Culture and Tourism Bureau to create three travel itineraries focused on Gongtian Temple, each having obtained carbon credit retirement certification. These itineraries adhere to the "ARO" approach, which involves avoiding unnecessary travel, reducing emissions, and offsetting any remaining emissions by purchasing and retiring carbon credits, as stated by TIATW.
The itineraries feature destinations such as the Xihuxi Bicycle Iron Bridge, Taiyen Tongxiao Tourism Factory, Houlong Cape of Good Hope, Guogang Tunnel, and Shuiwei Community, offering a blend of religious, coastal, industrial, railway, and community experiences.
Lee emphasized that travel products completing carbon footprint assessments, third-party verification, and carbon credit retirement can provide businesses with traceable carbon emissions data. This initiative supports businesses in enhancing their green procurement practices and their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.