�T. Actual State of the Local Atmospheric Environment

(You may not necessarily be requested to fill in all issue but for your interested fields.)
 

1. Principal Pollutants

a. Sulfur Oxides (SOx)
 

Concentration & Location
Source
Environmental Standard

b. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
 

Concentration & Location
Source
Environmental Standard

c. Dust Fall:
 

Concentration & Location
Source
Environmental Standard

d. Suspended Particulate Materials(SPM):
 

Concentration & Location
Source
Environmental Standard

e. Hydrocarbons (H/C):
 

Concentration & Location
Source
Environmental Standard

f. Photochemical Oxidants (Ox):
 

Concentration & Location
Source
Environmental Standard

　

g. Others (specify):
 

Concentration & Location
Source
Environmental Standard

　
 

2. Impact of Air Pollution on:

3. Measures by:

�U. Transboundary Air Pollution

�V. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Climate Change

1. Inventory and prediction of GHG emission:

[However this chapter should be inspected for Annex �T parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change intensively, information for developing countries must be useful to establish policy to cope with climate change.]

(unit: tonnage/year)
 

GHGs	Basic Year 1990	Prediction in Business-as-Usual(BaU) 2000 Later(specify:2010)
CO2(Total)	112,800,000	200,000,000	300,000,000
(Industry)	62,300,000(55%)
(Transport)	19,600,000(17%)
(Commercial  & Residential)	14,400,000(13%)
(Others)	16,500,000(15%)
CH4(Total)	73,000
(Coal production)	36,500(50%)
(Oil & gas systems)	34,310(47%)
(Traditional  biomass fuel)	2,190(3%)

　
 

2. Measures and Strategy to Reduce GHG Emission by the Government:

Although the government intended to become a party to the UNFCCC, it was barred from signing the treaty due to China’s opposition. As things stand now, Taiwan is not legally bound by the Climate Convention to limit the growth of its GHG emissions.

Several governmental branches are deliberating on how to impede the upward emission trend, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Environmental Protection Agency. The current status remains at the feasibility study phase, and on-going policies contain no measures that aim at GHG emission reduction.

Some of the policies and measures , although not designed to reduce GHG emissions , do provide side benefits for suppressing GHG emission growth rates. Most notable is the decision to import more expensive , yet less carbon-intensive liquefied natural gas to substitute coal. Another example is the continuous effort of the Energy Commission in the Ministry of Economic Affairs to boost energy efficiency. Taiwan also maintains a portfolio of renewable energy development , including solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and OTEC(ocean thermal energy conversion), but these carbon-free enegy forms can not be expected to contribute significantly in the foreseeable future unless the R&D efforts are invigorated drastically.

Taiwanese government does care, especially in recent years, about its international image. Marred by CITES - related criticism on its negligence in the protection of endangered species, the government is prone to be motivated to make good in other international environmental issues. What is lacking now is an internationally acceptable emission target for Taiwan and other more advanced developing countries, a prerequisite before a set of concrete policies and measures can be adopted to reduce emissions.

3. Expected impact of climate change on your country and people’s livelihoods:

sporadically overloading the electricity supply system, resulting in disruption of the power supply to homes and industries alike. Additional fluctuations in the precipitation pattern will worsen the availability of water, a resource already in short supply. Implications of climate change on public health and ecosystems remain unclear and should be investigated.

4. People’s proposals and movements:

Nothing substantial will ever be achieved if we think our effort is purely altruistic. It will be naive, and irresponsible, to hope that the world will allow Taiwan to be a free-rider. We should recognize that it is consistent with our self-interest to join forces with other nations of the world in this global endeavor. A public-awareness campaign is needed to put things into proper perspective for people in Taiwan.

Taiwan has been struggling for decades without well thought-through long-term planning, as our random urban layout and chaotic transportation system can testify. It may take a century to reverse the course of climate change, and any five-year plan is nothing but a piecemeal solution which is not only ineffective but also costly. It is not very meaningful to make a 20-year national energy plan while a power plant has a lifetime of 40 years.We propose that the national energy policy be based on least-cost energy planning, which should be mandatory and repeated at regular intervals.

Emission targets that are based on the principle of equitable burden sharing should be established without further delay. Least-cost planning shall give guidance on how these targets can be achieved. Milestones should be set up to check if the emission trend stays on course; if not, contingency plans should be available to make the necessary mid-course corrections.

The decision on further development of nuclear energy, even with its advantage in GHG emissions, should be made democratically. Climate change is a serious concern, but it is not the only environmental concern we have; the construction of the fourth nuclear power plant should not go ahead without the approval of a public referendum.

Unfair subsidies in favor of one fuel over the other should be removed. The climate-related environmental external costs should be internalized, perhaps in the form of a domestic carbon tax. Step up on the R&D of renewable energy technologies that suit our local condition, and begin to put in place the infrastructure for using new energy carriers, e.g., liquid hydrogen, to import renewable energies produced overseas.

5. Other (Please describe freely.)