The nation’s air quality has improved this year, an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) official said yesterday, urging the public to seek reliable information before making a judgement.
The average concentrations of most key air pollutants — PM2.5 (fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller), PM10, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide — have been on the decline over the past five years, EPA Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Director-General Tsai Hung-teh (蔡鴻德) said.
The number of times when the agency’s air quality index (AQI) hit “red” — unhealthy for all people — due to fine particulate matter has also dropped, from 997 times in 2015 to 470 times as of Dec. 15, he said.
“Fortunately, there are less pollutants coming from China this year,” Tsai said, adding that the agency has continued to implement more regulatory measures.
Asked why many people seem to think the nation’s air quality has worsened, Tsai said that frequent media coverage of air pollution has drawn more attention to the issue and many people lack information to make a fair comparison.
It might also be attributable to a change in the pollution warning system, he said.
The agency initiates a first-level precautionary measure against air pollution when PM2.5 levels within a 24-hour period exceed 54.5 micrograms per cubic meter, instead of 71 micrograms per cubic meter according to past practice, he said.
Despite a general decrease in air pollutants, ozone concentration levels are fluctuating: The days when ozone concentrations exceed 86 parts per billion (ppb) have decreased, while the days when its concentrations exceed 71ppb have risen in Kaohsiung, as well as Yunlin, Chiayi, Nantou, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, he said.
As volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOs) are constituents of ozone, a reduction of NOs alone cannot bring down ozone levels, he said, adding that the agency would work harder to regulate VOC emissions.
In terms of PM2.5 concentrations that are measured automatically, the top three areas with the highest readings are Kaohsiung’s Cianjhen (前鎮) and Ciaotou (橋頭) districts, and Nantou’s Jhushan Township (竹山), agency data from Jan. 1 to Dec. 15 showed.
Fighting air pollution should be a collective effort, EPA Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said, while expressing optimism that the nation would be able to reduce the number of “red” days in the AQI to half of 2015 levels by 2019.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
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
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS