Taiwan is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions in agriculture as part of the nation’s response to climate change, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said yesterday.
Chen made the comment at a conference held by the council in Taipei, at which more than 200 officials, academics and industry representatives discussed the agricultural sector’s path to obtaining net-zero goals.
Citing government statistics, COA officials told the conference that agriculture contributed 2.2 percent of Taiwan’s greenhouse gas emissions, with soil carbon from agricultural activities accounting for 35.9 percent of carbon sources other than fuel combustion.
Animal waste from husbandry accounted for 27.2 percent of carbon sources other than fuel combustion, while rice planting accounted for 18.5 percent and livestock flatulence accounted for 17.4 percent, they said.
The council has for years been planning its response to climate change and that preparation has helped to stabilize the effects of climate on agricultural production in the country, Chen said.
Taiwan releases 260 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year, including 500 tonnes of emissions that originate from the agricultural sector, an amount that incurs an estimated financial loss of NT$13 billion (US$467.26 million), he said.
In response, the council is adjusting its strategy to implement more rapidly measures contributing to “net-zero agriculture,” he said.
The measures include programs to create climate-resilient crops, climate insurance for farmers, and a reduction in carbon emissions by utilizing the nation’s forest reserves and seas, he said, adding that a dedicated climate office to coordinate the policies is being considered.
Last year’s 100-year drought should prompt reflection on the extent to which the nation relies on the manufacturing sector, which has a substantial carbon footprint, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.
The Cabinet is working to speed up the transition to a net-zero emissions economy, increase the capacity of natural carbon sinks and provide the council with more funding in the coming years, he said.
Lin Hsing-juh (林幸助), who heads the Center for Environmental Restoration and Disaster Reduction at National Chung Hsing University, said that a streamlining of bureaucracies would facilitate an important investigation into the role of the nation’s wetlands as carbon sinks.
TRAGEDY: An expert said that the incident was uncommon as the chance of a ground crew member being sucked into an IDF engine was ‘minuscule’ A master sergeant yesterday morning died after she was sucked into an engine during a routine inspection of a fighter jet at an air base in Taichung, the Air Force Command Headquarters said. The officer, surnamed Hu (胡), was conducting final landing checks at Ching Chuan Kang (清泉崗) Air Base when she was pulled into the jet’s engine for unknown reasons, the air force said in a news release. She was transported to a hospital for emergency treatment, but could not be revived, it said. The air force expressed its deepest sympathies over the incident, and vowed to work with authorities as they
A tourist who was struck and injured by a train in a scenic area of New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪) on Monday might be fined for trespassing on the tracks, the Railway Police Bureau said yesterday. The New Taipei City Fire Department said it received a call at 4:37pm on Monday about an incident in Shifen (十分), a tourist destination on the Pingsi Railway Line. After arriving on the scene, paramedics treated a woman in her 30s for a 3cm to 5cm laceration on her head, the department said. She was taken to a hospital in Keelung, it said. Surveillance footage from a
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS