The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday said it would work with businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity generation and transportation industries, which saw moderate increases last year despite a nationwide reduction of 4.1 percent.
The bulk of reductions were a result of the economic downturn over the last year, EPA Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) said. He added that in the absence of a concrete greenhouse gas reduction act, further reductions would have to come by working with businesses and other major emitters
The proposal was submitted to the legislature in 2006. However, it has been repeatedly held up, prompting EPA officials to speculate that lawmakers were concerned about its possible effect on big industries. The bill includes a platform for domestic carbon-emissions trading and hopes that eventually it will allow Taiwan to connect the network with international carbon markets.
Representatives from China Airlines Ltd, the nation’s biggest carrier by volume, said the company would work to reduce its yearly emissions output of 6.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to set an example for the transportation industry.
Dean Young (楊定輝), vice-president of the company’s Corporate Safety Division, said the airline expected to reduce that amount by introducing more fuel efficient engines, streamlining passenger networks and reducing aircraft weight.
He said the airline recognized the importance of reducing emissions, but reductions would also have to come from other industries because airplane emissions only account for 2 percent of the global total, while contributing 8 percent of economic output.
Meanwhile, representatives for Taipei 101 pledged to create one of the world’s tallest green buildings by drastically reducing power consumption, which accounts for almost 98 percent of the building’s yearly output of 62,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Although the 4.1 percent reduction in Taiwan’s overall carbon dioxide emissions is the first reduction since 1991, Taiwan still ranks among the top 20 global emitters per capita and contributes about 1 percent of worldwide emissions.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS