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- What has Taiwan done to improve air quality?
In 1993, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) set up the Taiwan
Area Air Quality Monitoring Network with seven automatic air
quality monitoring stations. In June 2002, the Air Pollution
Control Act was revised to impose severe penalties for
illegally importing or exporting pollutants in violation of
international conventions.
In July 1995, the EPA began collecting a surcharge on fuel in the form of an air pollution control (APC) fee. Funds generated from these fees are used to finance local efforts to improve air quality, establish environmental conservation parks, and subsidize the conversion of taxis to run on clean-burning liquefied petroleum gas.
- How does Taiwan protect water resources?
Taiwan has 129 rivers, and there were 290 water quality-sampling stations for rivers and streams and 146 water quality-sampling stations for ocean water in the Taiwan area in 2001. A river basin environmental protection project was implemented from 1996 through 2001.
Water quality at 20 primary reservoirs in Taiwan is regularly monitored, and a five-year, US$1.55 billion integrated reservoir conservation program was launched to clean up 38 reservoirs in the Taiwan area between 1997 and 2001.
To protect Taiwan's water resources, the government is offering low-interest loans to factories, environmental protection companies, medical institutions, and other private enterprises for the purchase or improvement of wastewater treatment facilities.
- What measures have been taken to control noise pollution
in Taiwan?
Article 8 of the Enforcement Rules of the Noise Control
Act requires all counties and cities in the Taiwan area
to establish noise-monitoring sites. Consistent with this
regulation, the Environmental Protection Administration set
up 30 noise monitoring stations--at least one station for
every county--to collect vital data on the environmental and
noise pollution caused by traffic.
Under the Noise Control Act, the use of firecrackers
in Taiwan is prohibited between 11 P.M. and five A.M. In accordance
with the Civil Aeronautic Act, the Civil Aeronautics
Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications
began collecting an Airport Noise Control Fee from 11 airports.
Revenues from this fee are used for controlling noise and
improving the environmental quality of schools, hospitals,
and communities in affected areas.
- How is solid waste disposed of in Taiwan?
A daily average of 22,964 metric tons of garbage is either incinerated or dumped into landfills. In 1998, 66 of the island's 316 garbage treatment sites reached full capacity. Thus, in addition to planning the construction of eight regional landfills, 135 ordinary dumping sites, and 19 large-scale incinerators in the third phase of the Taiwan Area Solid Waste Disposal Project, the government also encourages solid waste recycling to reduce waste. There are recycling programs for PET bottles, metal cans, EPS containers, tires, batteries, abandoned vehicles, and other materials. Manufacturers of aluminum containers, glass, plastics, paper, and certain other materials are required to recycle at least half of their output.
In Taipei City, for example, the city government began a "fee per package" policy on July 1, 2000, requiring residents to use trash bags purchased from the city government. This, in turn, caused residents to seek ways to reduce the amount of trash that they produced while boosting recycling efforts. Recycling trucks now visit Taipei neighborhoods three times each week. Beginning on July 1, 2002, the EPA implemented the "Plastic Shopping Bag and Plastic Disposable Dishes Use Restriction Policy," imposing restrictions on the use of plastic shopping bags, disposable tableware, and styrofoam in phases.
- What has the government done to preserve wildlife in Taiwan?
Although Taiwan is comparatively small, its diverse geography and climate support some 70 species of mammals, around 500 species of birds (40 percent of which are resident), 100 species of reptiles, 34 species of amphibians, nearly 2,500 species of fish, and 18,000 species of insects. To protect this wildlife and their natural habitat, the government has set aside nearly 19.5 percent of Taiwan's total land area as a multi-tiered conservation system that includes six national parks, 19 nature reserves, nine forest reserves, 13 wildlife refuges, and 28 major wildlife habitats.
Eleven species of rare plants and 23 species of rare animals are protected in Taiwan. In addition, some 1,955 species of rare flora and fauna are classified into three categories: endangered, rare and valuable, and requiring conservation measures. Unauthorized import or export of protected wildlife or its products carry serious penalties.
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