Yunlin County had the nation’s highest annual average concentration of airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) or less last year, data from the Ministry of Environment showed.
The county recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 19.3 micrograms per cubic meter (mcg/m3), followed by nearby Chiayi County and Chiayi City, as well as outlying Kinmen, all at 18.8mcg/m3, the data showed.
Taiwan hopes to lower its annual average PM2.5 level to less than 13mcg/m3 and the annual average PM2.5 concentration in central and southern Taiwan to less than 15mcg/m3 by 2027, the ministry said.
Photo: Chan Shih-hung, Taipei Times
Department of Atmospheric Environment head Chang Shun-chin (張順欽) said that a higher PM2.5 level in central and southern Taiwan was mainly a result of less rain and low wind speeds there.
Those conditions led to particulate matter not being able to diffuse into the air, resulting in the local accumulation of pollutants, he said.
In terms of the annual average concentration of nitrogen dioxide, data showed that Taipei led the nation with 13.87 parts per billion (ppb), followed by Kaohsiung at 11.49ppb.
Areas such as New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and Taichung also recorded relatively high levels.
Mobile sources of pollution and topography greatly contributed to the situation, Chang said.
For example, in Taipei, a high number of vehicles, coupled with its basin topography and poor dispersion, resulted in higher nitrogen dioxide concentrations.
Additionally, as nitrogen dioxide is a precursor to ozone, the overall ozone concentrations in the western part of Taiwan — where those cities are located — are also higher than those in the east, he said.
The data also showed the status of other major pollutants, such as PM10, an indicator of airborne particles measuring 10 micrometers or less. Yunlin County’s annual average was the highest (41.5mcg/m3), followed by Changhua County (40.8mcg/m3) and Chiayi County (40.2mcg/m3).
These values were below the annual average of 50mcg/m3 set by the ministry.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS