TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Digital Minister Audrey Tang (唐鳳) on Monday (Sept. 12) shared how Taiwan has worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through digital transformation at a U.N.-associated forum.

She was featured in an online session of the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF), which is taking place in Singapore between Sept. 12-14. The theme of the event is “People at the Center: Envisioning a community-led Internet that is inclusive, sustainable and trusted.”

The programmer-turned-politician shared her insights into Taiwan’s experience in cutting carbon emissions via digital means during a talk themed “Towards an EcoInternet - A Multistakeholder Dialogue on Policy Making and Strategizing for a Sustainable and Energy Efficient Internet," per the Ministry of Digital Affairs.

A focus was the government-sponsored TCloud program launched during the COVID pandemic to help small and medium-sized enterprises transform and adapt to the digital age. The program incentivizes the use of technologies to reduce carbon footprints and adopt energy conservation management systems, among other cloud services, fostering innovative approaches to business.

Small vendors, for example, have incorporated mobile payment systems through TCloud amid the contactless trend, she said. As to carbon-neutral solutions, the platform also offers carbon footprint verification assistance and electricity management services.

In addition to steering businesses toward a low-carbon model, Taiwan is expected to bring down its annual electricity consumption by 100 million kWh when 3G networks are shut down by 2024, according to Tang.