Nuclear power is a relatively safe and low-carbon power resource in the face of global climate change, but it cannot be built everywhere in the world, UK special representative for climate change David King said during his visit to Taipei yesterday.
“Climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism,” King said in a public lecture titled, “Climate Change and the Nexus of Water, Food and Energy,” at the Academia Sinica.
In a session held with local media later in the day, King said the UK is on a path to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent by 2050, with the average emissions per person reduced from an annual 10 tonnes to 7 tonnes so far, and expected to drop further to 5 tonnes by 2028 and 2 tonnes by 2050.
“However it would be fruitless if other countries do not follow the same path,” he said.
Facing questions on why he had strongly promoted nuclear energy as a solution for carbon reduction in the UK, King said: “Nuclear energy is only ‘one’ element of our solution. We are using solar energy, particularly offshore wind energy, tidal wave and whatever energy resources we have available to us.”
“The safety record of nuclear energy — including incidents at Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima [Dai-ichi] — can be measured by the number of fatalities: It is the safest form of energy per kilowatt-hour, on the planet,” he said.
King said that the British regulatory system for nuclear energy is very strong and has given the public the confidence that its government can build nuclear facilities safely.
“However, in many parts of the world, there are many different solutions and it depends on what resources are available in these countries,” he said.
“Britain is fortunate because we are not challenged by seismic activities, so the problems of Fukushima are not our problems, and that is how we realized the solutions to energy are therefore critically dependent on which region of the world we are in,” King added.
He said each region of the world has to look at its own resources and safety issues, to reach a conclusion for itself, because “the issues in Taiwan are not the same as the issues in Britain.”
Asked about how the UK government balances the investment in nuclear with other types of renewable energies, King said: “We are not, by any means, only using nuclear energy, but also pursuing particular renewable energy sources.”
“Our energy mix is complicated and our research in the end may produce new solutions, in particular new, advanced technology in energy storage. If large-scale energy storage is available at marketable prices, there is no reason why almost every country shouldn’t directly go into renewable energy,” he added.
King said the British government, in moving toward renewable energy, is developing a “very big business opportunity,” and is keen to share its experience and work with other countries to develop them.
The Asia-Pacific region is going to see an expansion of about 3.5 billion urban population by 2050, so urban development is critical because whatever investment is put in now will be there in 100 or 200 years from now, he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese