National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu yesterday awarded an honorary degree to famed British primatologist and conservation icon Jane Goodall for her long-time dedication to chimpanzee research and animal conservation.
Chen Li-chun (陳力俊) expressed the hope that National Tsing Hua University students would be inspired by the 78-year-old, who is known for her study of chimpanzees and her efforts to promote animal welfare.
After expressing gratitude to the university for conferring the degree upon her, Goodall called on people to take action to restore the environment.
Photo: CNA
Goodall, on her 13th trip to Taiwan, said on Friday that the country could capitalize on its advanced technology, vibrant social movements and extensive business network to contribute to environmental protection in the Chinese-speaking world.
Having worked with numerous Taiwanese schools over the past five years to set up projects for young people to change the world for the better, Goodall said the strong motivation of young people always keeps her inspired.
Meanwhile, under the “Green Thumb Project,” organized by the Jane Goodall Institute of Taiwan, about 70 schools in Taiwan are to work with the Forestry Bureau to plant trees to highlight the importance of biological diversity.
“Every single one of us can make a difference every single day,” Goodall said. “It’s not just a program: It’s a way of life.”
Lin Kuo-chang (林國彰), director of the Forestry Bureau’s Wildlife Conservation Section, said the Green Thumb team is planning to plant about 100,000 seeds per year for “as long as the schools exist.”
“We don’t expect it to be a short-term project. After planting the seeds, our staff need to go back to see how the trees are doing,” Lin said.
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
China’s plan to deploy a new hypersonic ballistic missile at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) base near Taiwan likely targets US airbases and ships in the western Pacific, but it would also present new threats to Taiwan, defense experts said. The New York Times — citing a US Department of Defense report from last year on China’s military power — on Monday reported in an article titled “The missiles threatening Taiwan” that China has stockpiled 3,500 missiles, 1.5 times more than four years earlier. Although it is unclear how many of those missiles were targeting Taiwan, the newspaper reported
RSS