Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) imports are to be controlled from next year under new regulations announced by the Ministry of Environment on Monday, mainly impacting air-conditioner, refrigerator and semiconductor manufacturers.
The new rules would require businesses to apply before they may import a limited amount of HFCs.
Primarily used for cooling, insulation and aerosol propellant, HFCs pose a serious climate threat, representing an estimated 2 percent of all greenhouse gases.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol ratified in 2019, more than 150 countries have agreed to reduce production and consumption of the synthetic gases by at least 80 percent over the next 30 years.
If achieved, experts estimate it could reduce global warming by 0.4℃ by the end of the century.
The most recent regulatory changes are intended to bring Taiwan in line with the agreement, Department of Atmospheric Environment Director-General Tsai Meng-yu (蔡孟裕) said.
Although HFCs do not harm the ozone, they are still serious greenhouse gases, with the warming effect of some types up to 10,000 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, Tsai said.
In Taiwan, HFCs are mainly used by semiconductor fabs to clean electronic components, as well as for refrigeration, air-conditioning and in some fire-fighting and foaming materials, he said.
No HFCs are produced domestically, with about 21,000 tonnes imported last year, Tsai said.
From next year, importers would not be allowed to use more than 24,523.8642 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, the new rules state.
They also set benchmarks of 10 percent reduction by 2029, 30 percent by 2035, 50 percent by 2040 and 80 percent by 2045.
As alternatives are available for air-conditioning, Tsai estimated that impact on the public would be limited, but more research is needed to find suitable alternatives for the semiconductor industry.
Additional reporting by CNA
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
Taiwanese who have recently traveled to China for tourism, to visit friends or relatives or for business reasons have been interrogated, detained and faced other forms of unreasonable treatment from Chinese officials, a source said on Sunday. Among them was a Taiwanese who was detained for eight hours at an airport in China due to their research, which is related to religion, while others have had their travel documents for China canceled for a number of reasons, the source said. In July, China expanded the scope of its counterespionage law, and recently announced a draft amendment to the law on the protection
RSS