The nation’s urban forests must be considered national infrastructure, on a par with power and water supply, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at the seventh National Climate Change Committee meeting, citing the warm weather this spring as proof that climate change is an ongoing issue.
The previous meetings have laid the groundwork for the nation’s carbon-reduction and energy policies, but as summers grow hotter, the government must take additional measures, Lai said.
Carbon emissions must be reduced as a long-term defense, but efforts must also be made to adapt to current conditions he added.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
In the face of heat waves, droughts and floods, Taiwan cannot afford to be passive, Lai said, adding that the Ministry of Environment is putting forward a nationwide tree-planting plan, building upon the “urban forest” initiative he announced on Arbor Day.
For the initiative to succeed, the nation must use scientific methods to determine the best locations to plant trees and ensure that the resulting foliage effectively reduces heat, he said.
Local and central governments must also collaborate to systematically connect the urban forest to existing green belts, communal parks and natural forests, Lai said, adding that it would also enhance national defense.
The goal is to break away from localized management and ensure that a land-based green network would be established and jointly managed, he said.
The government should encourage nationwide participation in the initiative, combining government and private resources, as well as mobilizing communities to work together toward environmental conservation, he added.
Deputy Minister of Finance Lai Chien-hsin (賴建信) said the government is to invest NT$553.1 billion (US$17.48 billion) from this year to 2031 in the implementation of national water management policies and projects to better address potential disasters caused by torrential rainfall or drought.
Upgrading the issue from management by local departments to the national level allows the central government to have oversight over all projects, and ensures that it and local governments are working toward the same goal, the minister said.
Scientific analysis and geospatial data would be used to identify industries with high water usage and high-risk mudslide areas, he said, adding that ministries would work together to ensure that projects are highly integrated.
The goal is to ensure that there is sufficient water, even in a disaster, and that natural bodies of water are clean and can support wildlife, he said.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
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