The greenhouse gas reduction law may not have received the green light before the Legislative Yuan review session ended, but the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) demonstrated its determination to lead the nation on the road to a low carbon economy with the opening of its Greenhouse Gas Reduction Management Office yesterday.
The opening ceremony was attended by leaders of several heavy-emission companies -- Taiwan Power Co (Taipower,
LIFE AND DEATH
"Carbon emissions reduction is a task that we will regret not doing in the future if we do not start today," EPA Minister Winston Dang (陳重信) said at the ceremony. "Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is presenting the human race with a problem bigger than environmental protection -- it is now a matter of life and death."
The office has been established to provide a focus point for all greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts, including strategic evaluations, the planning, quantification and registration of all carbon emitting businesses and to foster international collaboration, EPA Bureau of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Director-General Hsiao Hui-chuan (蕭慧娟) said.
REGISTRATION
Fifty-four businesses that produce heavy emissions, including power plants and steel factories, have voluntarily completed their registration, Hsiao said.
FPG, however, has yet to complete its registration.
Using the EU as an example, Hsiao said: "Once the greenhouse gas reduction law is passed by the new legislative body, such registration would provide the businesses with the means to trade carbon emissions in a way similar to the international market."
TRADING PRICE
The international trading price for carbon emissions is from US$1 per tonne to as much as US$30 per tonne on some European markets, she said.
"We expect the price in Taiwan to be on the high side," she said.
The EPA is still pushing for the greenhouse gas reduction law and will do so when the new legislative body convenes, she said, adding that once the law is passed, registration would be mandated and trading could start.
Regardless of the law, Dang urged Taiwanese to make environmental protection part of their lifestyle.
"When I visited Tuvalu with President Chen last October, I saw that land on which children were playing five years ago is now flooded. It is under the ocean because of climate change," he said. "Instead of greeting each other with `Have you eaten yet?' as Taiwanese traditionally do, we should ask `Have you made an effort to protect the environment?'"
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS