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.
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
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
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,
RSS