The Ministry of Environment is to establish an alliance to propose heat response plans by the end of next month amid global climate change.
High temperatures are the most tangible signs of climate change for the public, and to help people adapt to a warmer environment, the ministry is setting up the High Temperature Response Alliance, Climate Change Administration Deputy Director-General Hsu Hsu-cheng (徐旭誠) said on Saturday.
The effort would be focused on protecting high-risk groups, such as agricultural workers and others who work outdoors, from heat hazards, he said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Labor Affairs Department
The ministry would also collaborate with local governments to create “cool maps” of comfortable outdoor activity sites for the public and would help shape a heat-response industrial chain, he said.
More than 70 percent of the heat transferred into buildings in Taiwan results from solar heat passing through glass doors or windows, while only about 20 percent is conducted through walls, National Cheng Kung University architecture professor Lin Tzu-ping (林子平) said.
Therefore, installing outdoor sun-shading structures is the most effective method to prevent solar heat from entering buildings, Lin said.
Indoor heat-blocking measures would be the second-best approach, such as using window blinds or covering glass doors or windows with thermal insulation film, he said.
Regarding electricity use, residential and commercial properties accounted for about 22 percent of total power consumption, he said.
While newly constructed buildings are required to meet energy efficiency standards, Taiwan lacks an effective energy-saving scheme for existing buildings, Lin said.
The Ministry of the Interior should follow the example of the Netherlands and mandate the disclosure of buildings’ energy efficiency ratings in profiles of housing for rent or sale, he said.
“Just as we would consider fuel consumption when buying a vehicle, we should also consider a building’s power consumption before renting or buying it,” Lin said, adding that tax deductions or other incentives could encourage landlords or building owners to disclose energy efficiency ratings.
Boosting buildings’ heat-blocking efficacy to reduce indoor temperatures can reduce power consumption and carbon emissions, Department of Comprehensive Planning Director Hung Shu-sing (洪淑幸) said.
While the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are responsible for promoting building energy conservation for the residential and commercial sector, the enviro`nment ministry would plan budgets to subsidize heat insulation projects for existing housing, Hung said.
The replacement of traditional windows with heat-blocking units and the enhancement of roof heat insulation at schools would be prioritized, with subsidy details to be discussed, she added.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS