Officials at the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) called for a change in the nation's industrial structure yesterday, as the average amount of carbon dioxide each person in Taiwan emits per year is now three times the global average.
"Manufacturers in Taiwan must start focusing on two things," said Yeh Fung-luh (
Yeh's statement came as a response to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report released last year, in which it said that, in 2005, each person in Taiwan generated an average of 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
PHOTO: SU MENG-CHUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
The average global emission per person during the same year was four tonnes per person.
Young Chea-yuan (楊之遠), the director-general of the Air Quality Protection and Noise Control department, said yesterday that a recent report published by the Intra-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- an organization that examines greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on climate change at the UN -- has estimated that global temperatures will rise in the next few years. The report also said that some countries in Africa could potentially suffer more droughts in the next 50 years.
Young said that the climate in Taiwan may also get drier, adding that the Hsinchu Science Park and the Reservoir in Shimen (石門) might suffer water shortages in the future.
Meanwhile, statistics released by the Central Weather Bureau yesterday painted an equally bleak picture of global climate change.
During the last century, residents in Taipei have experienced on average 19.7 days a year when the daily temperature has exceeded 35oC. Within the past decade, however, that number has increased to 33.7 days a year. Twice within the past five years high temperatures of 35oC and above have lasted for over 40 days.
Also, compared to the past century, the relative humidity in Taipei has decreased approximately 5 percent.
To educate the public about the consequences of global warming, the EPA has decided to cooperate with the National Geographic Channel in Taiwan and hold a series of events to observe International Earth Day which falls on April 22.
EPA Minister Chang Kow-lung (張國龍) will be the official spokesperson of the campaign.
The campaign will include 24-hours of TV programs on global warming and its impact on the global environment to be broadcast on Earth Day. An online quiz will also be held whereby the public can test their knowledge of global warming and its related issues. Anybody with a perfect score on the quiz will be entered into a drawing for a free trip to the Amazon rain forest.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
RSS