Greenpeace Taiwan yesterday performed a vertical dance on the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) building, in an effort to raise public awareness of plastic waste in the oceans.
It was the first time that the organization gained permission to climb the building and perform the dance hanging from the side of it.
The participants portrayed marine animals that had mistaken plastic waste for food and then suffocated, in a bid to remind the public to limit the amount of plastic they use in their daily lives.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
At the event, EPA Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said his agency would enact policies to limit and reduce plastic use, as well as to clean the nation’s beaches and waters.
The reduction of the use of plastic is a global issue concerning sustainable development, so the administration is to hold a national beach cleanup program on World Earth Day on April 22 and begin a campaign to remove trash from the ocean in early June, Lee said.
Regulations that limit stores giving customers free plastic bags are to be expanded next year, Lee said.
In addition, the production and import of personal care products containing plastic microbeads is to be banned from Jan. 1 next year, while the sale of such products is to be banned from July 1 that year, Lee said.
However, the problem has to be tackled by people changing their lifestyles, so the administration is encouraging a plastic-free lifestyle this year, while a non-governmental organization affiliated with the UN is to hold a conference in Penghu in October next year, Lee said.
Greenpeace Taiwan oceans campaigner Yen Ning (顏寧) said the group hopes the public understands that by putting up with a little inconvenience in their daily lives — such as by not using straws or preparing their own lunch boxes — they can reduce plastic pollution and its harm to marine life.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it