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?'"
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
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
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS