Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday asked government officials to better explain the administration’s air pollution control and energy policies to the public, after a referendum requiring the government to reduce thermal power generation was passed by voters last month.
Referendum #7, which was held alongside the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections, asked voters: “Do you agree that the share of thermal power in the annual energy structure should be reduced by at least 1 percent per year on average?”
The referendum result was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, where Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers asked government officials to explain how they planned to achieve the goal.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Economic Affairs needs to consult relevant agencies and would next month present draft guidelines on how to achieve the goal, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said.
The ministry is evaluating to what degree such a reduction would improve the nation’s air quality, given that PM2.5 — fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller — emitted by thermal power plants account for only 4.5 to 9.9 percent of domestically produced PM2.5 pollution, Tseng said, citing Environmental Protection Agency data released at the end of last year.
DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said the referendum question was misleading, because what people really want is to cut the amount of air pollutants emitted by power plants.
The EPA should explain to the public the difference between the three, he said, adding that the referendum results have helped the DPP understand the importance of properly explaining its policies.
The ministry should also better explain its renewable power policy, as some people are questioning whether the nation’s renewable power prices are more expensive than other countries, DPP Legislator Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said.
People are exploiting public concerns over the government’s alleged waste of funds to spread misinformation, so officials must explain their policies more clearly to make sure that everyone can easily understand them, Lin added.
The nation’s air quality has been improving, EPA Acting Minister Tsai Hung-teh (蔡鴻德) said, adding that the annual average PM2.5 concentration has fallen from 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter last year to 17.4 micrograms per cubic meter as of last month.
Asked by lawmakers if the agency might collect a carbon tax, Tsai said it is one of the options to curb carbon emissions, but added that government agencies have yet to reach a consensus on the matter.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS