Former Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) yesterday said that he is against lowering electricity prices and subsidizing fossil fuels, calling on the incoming government to establish a reasonable energy pricing mechanism that reflects the health and environmental consequences of using fossil fuels.
“The government spends NT$20 billion [US$618.27 million] on fossil-fuel subsidies every year, but if the effects of global warming and air pollution are taken into consideration, the cost of subsidizing fossil fuels would be NT$1 trillion every year, or NT$43,000 per person,” Lee said at a conference in Taipei about sustainable environments.
While the government said it is “taking care of” Taiwanese by lowering gasoline and power prices, the industry and energy sectors, which together use 45 percent of the nation’s energy and contribute to more than 60 percent of Taiwan’s carbon emissions, are the largest beneficiaries of the fossil-fuel subsidies funded by taxpayers, Lee said, adding that it is a misuse of public money.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“I have issues with president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) view that electricity prices would not go up in the short term. I have suggested that she should re-examine energy pricing and tax systems, but she said that her team are researching the issue. That is avoiding responsibility. An administration must propose comprehensive policies and plans to make itself useful to people,” said Lee, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986.
While the ratio of tax revenue to GDP is about 30 percent in the US and European nations, tax revenue accounts for only 13 percent of Taiwan’s GDP, which means the government has no money for education and environmental protection, he said, adding that there should be a reasonable tax system on fossil fuels and carbon emissions.
While Taiwan does not need to follow in the footsteps of developed nations like the US, which is unwilling to lower the living standards of it citizens while fighting global warming, transitioning to sources of renewable energy and developing carbon capture and storage technologies are key to dealing with global warming and air pollution, Lee said.
Combating global warming is a pressing issue, as extreme weather and large-scale disasters would ensue when global temperatures rise to 2?C above pre-industrial levels, which would be the case in 25 years if carbon dioxide levels keep rising at their current pace, he said.
The conference, with the theme of “eco-friendly Taiwan, sustainable environment,” was organized by environmental groups.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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