70% Customers Not Buying Plastic Bags since Taiwan Tightened Ban
Taipei, Taiwan, July 26, 2018 (TEIA)– Starting Jan 1st, 2018, seven more types of businesses, such as beverage stores, bakeries, pharmacies, and bookstores, plus 80,000 regulated subjects, were added to Taiwan’s plastic ban policy. These vendors can no longer provide plastic bags for free. According to the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA), 60 warning tickets were given o
Atayal Singer Farmer Proposes Subsistence Crops as a Climate Change Mitigation Plan
Taichung, Taiwan, July 26, 2018 (TEIA)– Yabu Pakaw (雅砆鈸告), lead singer of Snhy (信念樂團), not only sings well, he is also a green thumb. On his plantation, Yabu reserves a space for reintroducing and sustaining 10 or so subsistence food crops used by the Atayal people. He hopes to preserve not only the crops themselves, but also the indigenous knowledge involving them.“One day when climate change str
The Largest Scale Amendments to Taiwan's Air Pollution Control Act Since 2002
Taipei, Taiwan, July 12, 2018 (TEIA)– The largest scale amendments to Taiwan's Air Pollution Control Act (空氣汙染防制法) since 2002 were passed during Legislative Yuan's extraordinary session in the evening of June 25, 2018. The session featured a heated dispute on whether the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA) should jointly decide with or consult with the Ministry of Economic
Landmark Triple Win Development Project: Land Crabs’ Habitat Saved by Land Swap in Houwan Bay, Pingtung
Pingtung, Taiwan, June 28, 2018 (TEIA)– A decade-long debate on a development project within a valuable land crabs' habitat in Kenting National Park's (墾丁國家公園) Houwan Bay (後灣) has concluded. Executive Yuan has finalized the deal on swapping land ownership, specifically the exchange of government-owned land parcel for private-owned land parcel. In this land swap deal, the government offers the park
Young Designers’ Exhibition - Voices and Solutions for Taiwan’s Environmental Issues from a New Generation
TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 14, 2018 (TEIA)– The 37th Young Designers' Exhibition (YODEX) was unveiled May 25th at Taipei World Trade Center. Over 3,000 pieces of collaborative work were crafted by over 10,000 student participants. More than just to showcasing the designers' creativity, many reflected the designers' own stances on environmental issues - and even proposed solutions.This year's YODEX took
Up in Smoke - Recycling Plastic Garbage Incinerated Despite Citizens’ Efforts
TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 14, 2018 (TEIA)– In Taiwan, plastic garbage collected by local cleaning units can be classified into three categories: "regulated plastic containers", promulgated by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) [1]; "miscellaneous plastics", which are mostly hard plastics; and "clean plastic bags".The versatile plastic garbage can be heated to high values and is ri
Taiwan's Illegal Factories Threaten Food Safety
TAIPEI, Taiwan, January 9, 2017 (TEIA)– Factories illegally built on farms have become a massive threat to food safety in Taiwan. A recent survey shows that at least 60 percent of these factories are of high pollution potential. The Taiwanese government has pledged to tear down new structures and centrally manage old ones to save the farms.Illegal factories on the farm began to be seen in the 1970
Open Data Initiative: Taiwan Power Crisis Avoidable
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct 31, 2016 (TEIA) – Premier Lin Chuan's June order to power up the mothballed No. 1 reactor at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City was prompted by a power shortage that was deliberately engineered by the state-owned Taiwan Power Company, Taipower, according to former national policy adviser Rex How.The facts were uncovered through an open data initiative by Taiwane
Land Use Challenges Taiwan’s First Female President
TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 6, 2016 (TEIA) – Taiwan's first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, has pledged to develop a program that will integrate national land-use planning, regional development and environmental sustainability. But civic groups are concerned about her lack of strong commitment and lack of detail given to the public about her policies.President Tsai, who chairs the Democratic Progressive
Taiwan Warned of Looming Fishery Collapse
TAIPEI, Taiwan, February 4, 2016 (TEIA) – The number of coastal fish species in northern Taiwan has dropped by 75 percent over the past three decades, finds a newly published study by Taiwanese researchers. Along with weak and poorly enforced fisheries regulations, the study shows that the island nation is at greater risk of a complete marine ecosystem collapse than the planet as a whole.Located a
Is Yushan National Park Ready to Get Wired Up?
At the top of Yushan (Photo by Peellden, CC BY-SA 3.0)TAIPEI, Taiwan, October 13, 2015 (TEIA) – Recently, the Yushan National Park Administration (玉山國家公園管理處) proposed three projects to improve electricity supply in Paiyun Lodge (排雲山莊), the rest point at an altitude of 3,400m, including constructing an 8.5km-long power line from Tataka Saddle (塔塔加鞍部) to the lodge for the transmission of commercial
Kaohsiung Seeks Safety After Deadly Gas Explosions
TAIPEI, Taiwan, October 6, 2015 (TEIA) – More than a year after the tragic 2014 gas explosions in Kaohsiung municipality, Taiwan citizens are still fighting their way to safety. Academia and civil groups are urging the government to provide public access to environmental information and embrace a sustainable industrial development as the centerpiece of its development strategy.On the night of July