A coalition of environmental groups on Sunday called for the termination of an expansion project of the Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung, a gradual prohibition of petroleum coke and coal, and decreased output of coal-fired power plants, as the density of fine particulate matter under 25 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) continues to reach hazardous levels across the nation.
Thirty-two environmental groups held a press conference in Taichung ahead of a parade at the end of this month to protest Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) science park expansion project and emissions from the Taichung Power Plant — the largest coal-fired power plant in the world.
The groups said that the TSMC expansion is predicted to consume 4.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which is equal to 60 percent of the annual electricity used by Taichung residents.
The expansion project would task the power plant to boost its power generation by 11 percent, which would only aggravate local pollution, the groups said.
They demanded the expansion be halted until a health risk assessment has been completed, and that presidential candidates should put forward policies on environmental protection and green development to curb worsening air pollution.
In related news, Green Party-Social Democratic Party Alliance legislative candidate Thomas Chan (詹順貴) yesterday said that the surging PM2.5 levels recently recorded in central and southern Taiwan were a result of a combination of factors.
PM2.5 concentrations have reached purple levels — the most severe level according to the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) four-color categorization — in central and southern areas since Saturday last week.
Chan called on the central government to gradually phase out the burning of petroleum coke and coal to combat air pollution.
The EPA said it is planning to make arrangements with coal-fired power plants nationwide to adjust their power output or schedule an annual overhaul during fall and winter.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS