The Ministry of Environment yesterday announced it was planning an educational initiative to combat cigarette littering.
Many people treat gutters as ashtrays, but tossing cigarettes down sewer drains has significant ecological impacts, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) told a question-and-answer session at the legislature.
The ministry is in talks with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and other agencies to organize a public service initiative urging people to properly dispose of cigarette butts, he said, adding that the timing is still uncertain.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The initiative would include working with convenience stores on educational efforts about the environmental impacts of littering, as well as local governments and the media to inform people about the accumulation of cigarette butts in gutters, Peng said.
Authorities would also use video surveillance to report and fine those caught littering, he added.
From 2018 to last year, 250,628 fines were issued for littering involving cigarette butts under the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), comprising 77.6 percent of all such penalties, ministry data showed.
Fines can range from NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, the act says.
The National Environmental Research Academy is also researching the ecological effects of microplastics from cigarette filters, to be presented internationally, Peng said.
Separately, Peng discussed energy policy on the sidelines of the session.
He told reporters that the ministry’s stance on nuclear power is based on the government’s responsibility to achieve the nuclear-free homeland policy’s goals stipulated under the Basic Environment Act (環境基本法).
“The Cabinet has so far not received any word to extend the service life” of nuclear power plants, he said.
The international community does not agree on whether nuclear power should be used in the fight against climate change, leaving the matter to national governments to decide, Peng said.
“The most important thing is for us to reach a consensus before doing anything else,” he said.
The EU briefly qualified nuclear power as a sustainable investment following the energy crunch in the wake of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia, he said.
However, nuclear projects have to comply with strict rules on nuclear waste disposal, safety and the qualification of the reactor technology being used, Peng said.
Peng on Tuesday said his priorities as minister included achieving net zero carbon emission targets, inviting outside experts to assist in conducting the environmental impact assessment of the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Keelung and increasing the ministry’s transparency.
A revamp of Taiwan’s net zero policy is necessary as its strategy relies too much on the stick and offers no carrots, he said, adding that the US and Japan are using tax breaks and bonds to incentivize cutting emissions.
The ministry would take a more balanced approach to the issue while pushing for the implementation of a proposed carbon pricing scheme, Peng said.
Taiwan Power Co (台電) must provide additional information for the environmental impact assessment of the proposed LNG terminal in Keelung before July if the project is to proceed, he said.
The ministry suggests that the environmental impact assessment committee add six more members with expertise in ocean ecology, navigational safety or port operations, Peng said.
The new members should be nominated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, enterprises involved in the project and other relevant groups, he said.
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