The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal consisting of 16 measures to transform Taiwan into a “low carbon” country by 2020.
At a fortnightly meeting, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and ministers without portfolio reviewed the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ (MOEA) proposal, which was based on conclusions reached at the National Energy Conference held in April.
The proposal includes earmarking NT$45.413 billion (US$1.38 billion) in government funds in the first year.
The proposal set a long-term goal of cutting total annual greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by the year 2025.
The Executive Yuan has also asked the legislature to complete a bill on reducing carbon emissions and another bill on developing renewable energy.
Of the earmarked budget, NT$226 million will be used to promote renewable energy and facilities in homes and public buildings.
The Executive Yuan said it would invest NT$20 billion over the next five years into advancing techniques in seven industries: solar energy, LED lighting, wind power, hydrogen energy and fuel cells, biofuel, energy information and communications technology, and electric vehicles.
The measures also include enhancing cooperation between local governments and the central government on incentives for conserving energy and cutting emissions.
The measures include creating two pilot communities per county or city over the next two years, with 50 percent of the energy supply in those areas coming from renewable sources.
Six cities or counties should be fully transformed into “low carbon” areas within five years and the whole country should be made a “low carbon” region by 2020, the proposal said.
Total carbon dioxide emissions nationwide were 277.645 million tonnes in 2006, representing 124.68 percent growth over 1990’s 123.574 million tonnes, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) says.
The EPA’s data show that the energy conversion industry contributed to 6.9 percent of emissions in 2006, while heavy industry contributed 52.5 percent, the transportation sector contributed 14.3 percent, the commercial sector 6.3 percent and private households 12.1 percent.
Taiwan ranked third in Asia and 32nd worldwide in the 2009 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) for carbon dioxide emissions, published by Climate Action Network Europe (CAN-Europe) and Germanwatch.
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
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Deliveries of delayed F-16V jets are expected to begin in September, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today, after senior defense officials visited the US last week. The US in 2019 approved a US$8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the nation’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, but the project has been hit by issues including software problems. Koo appeared today before a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which is discussing different versions of the special defense budget this week. The committee is questioning officials today,
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