TAIPEI: Several foreign representative offices in Taiwan have decided to send electronic Christmas cards to government agencies and other contacts this year, as part of efforts to protect the environment.

The Taipei-based European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) and the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) said that the use of e-cards is less detrimental to the environment than buying paper cards.

The decision also coincides with a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting that is currently taking place in Copenhagen, at which some 100 heads of state from around the world are trying to decide on the future extent of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The gathering also is attempting to work out a new international climate change agreement before the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

"The world is currently searching for a solution to combat climate change. It is therefore important that we take action rather than simply talk about taking action," Guy Ledoux, head of the EETO, told the Central News Agency in an e-mail.

"The electronic card is one small action that we can do to save the environment, and even though it is not an actual card, it still conveys our most sincere appreciation to all the friends of the EU and the EETO," he added.

The decision to send e-cards for the first time was an internal one made by the EETO.

Meanwhile, the BTCO, which sends an average of 600-700 cards each year, is also taking similar action to help save the planet by encouraging its staff to use e-cards or existing printed cards to send seasonal greetings this year.

This is one of the many steps taken by the BTCO to be kinder to the environment, according to the office, adding that other energy-saving measures include using natural light whenever possible and turning off computers, printers and copy machines at lunchtime and after work.

The EU and the United Kingdom are playing leading roles in global efforts to mitigate climate change, as they have set ambitious targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The EU has adopted legally-binding measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to an average of 30 percent below the 1990 level by the year 2020 and is prepared to further increase this effort if other partners take on comparable commitments in a new international agreement.

The UK introduced a Climate Change Act in November 2008 to cut emissions by at least a third by 2020 and by at least 80 percent by 2050.

With the increasing public awareness of environmental protection and the convenience of sending holiday greetings via e-cards and text messages, the sale of Christmas cards in Taiwan has been gradually declining, said Huang Hui-ling, public relations specialist at Eslite Corp, one of Taiwan's largest bookstores that launched its first Christmas card sale in 1989.

She told the Central News Agency in a telephone interview that the company has seen a steady decrease in the number of Christmas cards sold over the past decade, but sales have been stabilized in recent years because of a retro trend of sending printed cards.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 12/18/2009 page2)