To make the nation more adaptable to the effects of climate change, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday announced its first funding project for research on climate change mitigation.
While the agency has previously subsidized projects for energy conservation and carbon reduction, this is its first funding project for climate action research in line with the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act (溫室氣體減量及管理法) promulgated in 2015, Department of Environmental Management Director-General Yuan Shaw-ying (袁紹英) said.
The project aims to improve public awareness about climate-related issues and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration on environmental protection, especially after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last month called for faster efforts to stem global warming, the agency said.
Since climate change is a multifaceted issue, the agency encourages researchers of various disciplines to team up and propose plans that can be carried out in people’s daily lives, Yuan said.
However, applicants for basic research projects should seek funding from the Ministry of Science and Technology, which has a consortium for climate change studies, Yuan added.
As the EPA has limited funding for the program — about NT$15 million (US$485,405) for all projects next year — researchers are advised to seek additional subsidies from the ministry or the Ministry of Education, he said.
Approved proposals would be announced in the middle of next year, Yuan added.
In related news, the department is working with the Pingtung County Government to promote plastic garbage reduction on Siaoliouciou (小琉球), an island that has been designated by the EPA as a demonstration site for low-carbon and plastic-free life.
To encourage tourists to bring their own cups, the department has installed 10 water dispensers across the island with counters that display the number of plastic bottles saved, it said.
Since the dispensers were opened to the pubic last month, they have saved more than 10,000 600ml plastic bottles, it said.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
RSS