Air pollution is an issue that could be resolved with a long-term plan and not just by canceling a one-day event, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, after environmental groups called for New Year’s Eve fireworks displays to be canceled to reduce air pollution.
This year’s celebrations coincided with the worst air pollution in the nation in three years, with many areas in western Taiwan registering “red” levels, meaning “unhealthy,” due to high concentration of airborne particles.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare urged people to take protective measures against air pollution when going outside.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The Environmental Protection Administration urged factories to halt their operations on the evening of New Year’s Eve and amusement parks to reduce firework displays, while advising people not to stay outdoors for long periods or light barbecues.
Taiwan Healthy Air Action Alliance director Yeh Kuang-peng (葉光芃) asked why the government did not cancel fireworks displays when air pollution reached serious levels.
Vehicles heading to New Year’s Eve celebrations also increased carbon emissions, another environmental group said.
The fireworks display at Taipei 101 lasted six minutes this year, the longest ever.
Speaking at a walking event held at Taipei Flora Expo Park (台北花博公園) yesterday morning, Ko said: “Air pollution is a daily problem, because people breathe every second, so it should be dealt with through an overall plan.”
“There are 365 days in a year, but the firework display was only about 300 seconds, so we need a long-term plan to solve the problem,” he said.
About 2.59 million people used the Taipei MRT System between 6am on New Year’s Eve and 6am yesterday, and about 371,000 people used the four stations nearest to Taipei City Hall station, where the New Year’s Eve countdown party was held, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.
While the number of passengers at the four stations rose by 31,000 from last year, the total number of passengers on all MRT lines decreased by about 46,000, it said.
Ko did not finish the walking event, saying he was tired from attending the countdown party and the flag-raising ceremony early in the morning.
Ko made a 34-minute Facebook live broadcast that began at 10:35pm on New Year’s Eve, saying his New Year’s wish was “to sleep 6.5 hours every day” and “to live every day earnestly and happily,” adding that he would pretend to be happy if that is not possible.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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