Environmental groups marked Earth Day yesterday by issuing four appeals — stop land expropriation; pursue energy transition with caution; set a reasonable price for water; and regulate the treatment of waste.
Environmental groups have put forward a record high 56 proposals this year, which reflects the desperate need for the government to tackle environmental issues, Taiwan Citizen Participation Association director-general Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) told a news conference in Taipei.
Plastic and climate change are among the most relevant environmental issues for this generation, Taiwan Environmental Information Association deputy secretary-general Sun Hsiu-ju (孫秀如) said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Last month, the UN Environment Programme passed a resolution calling for a global plastic pollution treaty by 2024 to restrict the production of plastics, she said, adding that the association advocates gradually reducing plastic waste from 2025.
Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association chairman Chen Hsien-cheng (陳憲政) said that the alternative energy Taiwan plans to use to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is natural gas, which is also an emitter of carbon.
Pursuing energy transition in haste by constructing many liquefied natural gas terminals would also compromise the marine environment, he said.
Taiwan Environmental Protection Union president Liu Jyh-jian (劉志堅) said that the Executive Yuan should be the competent authority for a proposed climate change response act if it is to be effective.
As for the proposed carbon pricing scheme, the fee should be set and collected within a year of the act being approved, he said.
The government should reduce carbon emissions and establish clear goals to cut emissions to less than 10 percent by 2025, he added.
Liu also proposed that the government introduce a system to identify natural carbon sinks as soon as possible.
Taiwan Water Resources Protection Union director Jennifer Nien (粘麗玉) urged the government to protect water resources, monitor groundwater usage by industry and impose water conservation fees.
Shezidao Self-help Society spokesperson Li Hua-ping (李華萍) demanded that the government stop rezoning and land expropriation.
The government is forcing residents to take part in development projects under the pretense of cooperation, giving them no choice but to accept compensation and resettlement, which is a serious breach of property rights, right to life, right to housing and human dignity, Li 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)
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