High-ranking officials yesterday said that the government would prefer to develop a carbon emissions reduction strategy in accordance with the Asia-Pacific Part-nership on Clean Development and Climate (APP), rather than with the Kyoto Protocol -- a measure lauded by anti-Kyoto Protocol countries but condemned by environmentalists.
"While it's impossible to predict what the situation will be in the future, we hope that [Taiwan] will become a partner of the APP nations," Minister without Portfolio Ho Mei-yueh (
Ho made the remarks at a press conference held by the Government Information Office to publicize the agenda for the upcoming Economic Development Advisory Conference.
Although it is expected that measures to reduce carbon emissions will be discussed at the conference, which is scheduled for June 18 and 19, the government has remained cautious about the possible negative effects of the Kyoto Protocol on the nation.
The APP is an international non-treaty agreement among Australia, India, Japan, China, South Korea and the US, aimed at reducing carbon emissions not by setting carbon reduction goals as the Kyoto Protocol suggests, but by demanding that industries use advanced equipment that produces the least carbon emissions during the production process.
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) gave a brief report on the issue at the press conference, saying that adopting Kyoto Protocol would not be beneficial to the nation.
"If we comply with the Kyoto Protocol's emissions reduction goal, we will suffer a big loss of GDP. The adoption will have a large impact on the economy," Chen said.
While Taiwan is not now obligated to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, the nation has been divided over whether to set a target of reducing greenhouse gases by national policies since the protocol entered into force last February.
Greenpeace, an international environmental organization, has criticized the APP, saying it relies only on voluntary measures, and contains no targets, timetables or financial mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS