The annual ChangeNOW Summit in Paris this year features a Taiwan pavilion for the first time, highlighting Taiwan's efforts in marine conservation and sustainable innovation.
Organized by Impact Hub Taipei, central government agencies, Taipei and non-governmental organizations, the "Taiwan House" showcases projects aimed at protecting ocean ecosystems and promoting a more sustainable future, Impact Hub Taipei said.
At the three-day event's opening ceremony yesterday, Representative to France Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝) said that the pavilion demonstrates Taiwan's active role in global sustainable development.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan, as an island nation, has long devoted itself to promoting pragmatic and innovative solutions related to marine conservation, she said.
Taiwan's contributions to energy transition and sustainability deserve greater international recognition, said French lawmaker Eric Bothorel, who also attended the event.
Taiwan should not be excluded from global participation due to geopolitical pressure, he said, pledging to continue advocating for its inclusion in international institutions.
Taiwan responded particularly actively to the summit's invitation, ChangeNOW founder and CEO Santiago Lefebvre said.
The event aims to serve as a platform for collaboration, helping innovative solutions secure the support and funding needed to scale up, he said.
One of the Taiwanese organizations showcasing their innovations at the pavilion is Azure Alliance, displaying its third-generation "Azure Fighter," an electric autonomous vessel designed to collect floating waste in waterways.
The system has removed more than 15,000kg of marine debris.
Most of the waste consists of household garbage, such as PET bottles, followed by fishing buoys, plastic bags and disposable utensils, Azure Alliance CEO Cheer Chen (陳思穎) said.
Wonder Greener is exhibiting its plant-based Lepironia straws, a plastic-free alternative used by more than 1,500 clients worldwide.
The product is priced competitively with paper straws and produced using an automated process, Wonder Greener Founder Benson Chen (陳柏燊) said.
The company is also exhibiting a plant-based mat designed to support coral reef restoration by shielding exposed corals from heat and sunlight.
Meanwhile, Re-Think is showcasing its online Guidebook of Marine Debris and Recycle Index, which use data-driven approaches to improve public understanding of waste and boost recycling rates.
Founded in 2017, the ChangeNOW Summit brings together global innovators and sustainability leaders to promote actionable solutions to environmental challenges.
This year's event features national pavilions from Taiwan, the Netherlands and Ukraine.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it
RSS