Several civic organizations and a legislator yesterday said that quitting smoking was not only about improving one’s health, but could also help address the issue of carbon emissions.
At a press conference, the Homemakers United Foundation, the Consumers’ Foundation, the John Tung Foundation and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said that while the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster in Japan two years ago had sparked fierce debate over nuclear energy, which the government claimed to be environmentally friendly, an easier way to reduce carbon emissions and save energy is simply to quit smoking — an alternative that they claimed has been largely overlooked.
People are now much aware of the physical damages that smoking might cause, but tobacco use may also be linked to environmental hazards such as tobacco farm-driven-deforestation, excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, pollution related to tobacco processing, cigarette packages and butts ending up as garbage, energy-consuming transportation and so on, the group said.
Photo: Chiu I-chun, Taipei Times
Tien said that the amount of carbon dioxide generated by the fabrication process alone of the cigarettes consumed by Taiwanese smokers is 36 million tonnes per year, which far exceeds the absorbable amount of the trees we have. They can in a year only consume between 11kg and 18kg of carbon dioxide each, provided that they are above the age of 20.
“[The government] should not justify the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant by saying it contributes to carbon reduction,” since carbon emissions can be reduced in many other ways that do not subject us to the risk of total destruction, and quitting smoking is one of the easiest, Tien said.
Homemakers United Foundation chairperson Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) said it takes 15 years for a cigarette butt to decompose and that Taiwanese smokers produce more than 40 billion cigarette butts a year.
“Not only are they the main cause of sewer blockages, but littered cigarettes might also cause fatal forest fires,” Chen said.
“Forty billion is actually the official number,” Consumers’ Foundation chairman Jason Lee (李鳳翱) said.
“If we include cigarettes that were smuggled into the country, the number is about 46 billion and we know that cigarettes are not a necessity of life. Consumers have a passive obligation to not to cause damages to others with their consumption,” he added.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS