The Presidential Office yesterday announced an energy-saving program to mark World Environment Day, hoping to set an example for the public and help advance President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“I know it is not easy, but we can try to accomplish it step by step,” Ma said. “About 98 percent of the country’s energy is imported. We can help make the country a better place if every individual makes a little contribution.”
Ma has pledged to keep carbon dioxide emissions to this year’s levels by 2020, to cut them to 2000’s levels by 2025 and then to half of 2000’s levels by 2050.
Although Taiwan is not a member of the UN, nor a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, Ma said the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions had reached a “horrifying” level. Taiwan had to take the matter seriously, he said, because the country could not afford economic sanctions if it were to become a UN member in the future and ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
In the meantime, Ma said he has proposed various measures to lower carbon dioxide emissions. One of them is to plant 60,000 hectares of forest in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan counties. These forests would be used to conserve water, create theme parks and help reduce carbon emissions, he said. Industries emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases could help build the forest or adopt patches of it to offset the damage they do to the environment.
Pulling out a pair of recyclable chopsticks, a spoon and a fork from his pocket, Ma yesterday encouraged staffers at the Presidential Office to follow the 10 energy-saving guidelines set by his office.
“The nation’s leader and its government must set an example to the public,” he said.
Except for important occasions, male staffers have been advised to ditch their suits and ties. All staffers have been encouraged to use less air conditioning and open the windows, turn off the lights after work, use public transport or ride a bicycle to work, take the stairs rather than using the elevator, eat locally produced food and more vegetables, reject products with excessive packaging, use recycled products and to recycle resources and to use recyclable chopsticks, cups, bowls, shopping bags and handkerchiefs.
Meanwhile, as the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the Presidential Office urged staffers to refrain from giving or accepting gifts and not to attend free lunches and dinners.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716