Republic of Kiribati President Anote Tong yesterday called for cooperation among countries to tackle changes brought on by climate change, saying that it is a moral issue with responsibility shared by all nations.
Delivering a speech at the 44th annual conference of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union (APPU) in Taipei, Tong said that “business as usual is no longer an option” for climate change mitigation efforts.
In face of global warming, “low-lying countries will be the first to disappear,” Tong said, as he urged leaders of each country to take on more responsibility for the harm done through climate change.
Photo: CNA
The annual conference attracted 84 lawmakers from 14 countries in the region to discuss strategies on how to work together to manage natural disasters and foster regional collaboration on emergency relief.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday was invited to address the audience at the opening ceremony of the three-day APPU General Assembly.
Ma said in English that he was really impressed by the importance the APPU members have attached to issues of climate change and disaster relief.
Due to the exclusion of Taiwan from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Taiwan takes climate change very seriously, he said.
Ma said the country is in a good position to achieve his administration’s goals of bringing national carbon dioxide emissions back to 2005 levels by 2020, and further to 2000 levels by 2025 — if the nation is able to increase energy efficiency by 2.3 percent each year.
“Taiwan in 2006 was responsible for 1 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, and now it is 0.8 percent. In terms of per capita emissions, Taiwan was down from 18th in the world to 23rd. We have done our part, despite not being a signatory to the UNFCCC or the Kyoto Protocol, because, after all, the Republic of China is a responsible stakeholder in the international community. We will continue to do that,” Ma said.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
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