Environmentalists are planning a public march and rally in Taipei on Saturday next week to raise awareness of how air pollution can harm coral reefs, organizers said.
The protesters are to gather on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building and march past the Legislative Yuan and the headquarters of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, calling for a reduction in the use of coal-fired power plants and protection of coral reefs, representatives of several environmental groups organizing the event said.
The participants are also to urge the government to pay greater attention to the effects of carbon emissions on the environment and human health, Action Coalition for Healthy Air in Taiwan head Yeh Guang-perng (葉光芃) said.
The most effective way to improve air quality is to reduce coal-fired power generation, Yeh said, adding that the government’s energy policy is outdated, as it relies heavily on fossil fuels.
A government plan to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on reclaimed land at an industrial park next to coastal algal reefs in the Datan (大潭) area of Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) is evidence that the policy is outdated, he said.
The event is to call for the closure of coal-fired power plants, the protection of coral reefs and the adoption of a green energy policy, Yeh said.
Meanwhile, Pan Chong-cheng (潘忠政), head of an action alliance that advocates protection of the Datan reefs, said the feature is a unique ecosystem and has the potential to be named a world natural heritage site.
However, the government’s plan to build the LNG terminal in the area poses a threat to the ecosystem, Pan said, adding that he and other environmentalists would take to the streets to call on the government to protect them.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS