Non-governmental organizations (NGO) yesterday said they would send a team of 15 representatives to attend the UN’s upcoming Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development — also known as Rio Earth Summit 2012 — in Brazil, to exchange knowledge on green economy and the institutional framework for sustainable development with the world.
Although Taiwan is not a member state of the UN, the Taiwan Action NGOs (TANGO) — an association of eight Taiwanese NGOs that is concerned with environmental issues — said they would head to Rio de Janeiro as civic participants tomorrow to interact with more than 150 civic groups from around the world.
TANGO team leader and Taiwan Environmental Protection Union president Juju Wang (王俊秀) said at a press conference that the meaning of “green economy” had been simplified as green energy and carbon reduction by the government, which he said is a clear misunderstanding, and so TANGO’s main goal is to bring back experience and knowledge from other countries.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Wang said the team would also present environmental issues on agriculture, food safety, community development and other aspects, as well as introduce the 22 endemic species of wild birds in Taiwan to other countries.
At the press conference, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said many people outside the country have the impression that Taiwanese are good at doing business and that many products are made from factories in Taiwan, but the importance of TANGO’s participation is to show the world that there are also many people who are making efforts to protect Taiwan’s environment and be responsible members of the global community.
“We hope to learn how other countries deal with environmental issues at a community level, such as the problematic use of toxic furnace bottom ash,” TANGO member and Tainan Community University instructor Lin Yuan-li (林元笠) said, adding that “voices from communities are more direct, without the information being screened by the governments in advance.”
Another attending member, lead vocalist Chiang Yu-ta (江育達) of the band The Village Armed Youth (農村武裝青年) sang a song called Formosa Etude at the press conference and said that aside from being seen at the exhibition stand, he hopes Taiwan’s voice can also be heard by the rest of the world.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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