The Republic of China Yearbook 2009

CHAPTER 12 Environmental Protection

Renewable Energy

Responding to climate change and a heavy reliance on energy imports, the Republic of China is striving to become a leader in the production and deployment of renewable-energy technologies. In June 2009, the Legislative Yuan passed a comprehensive act aimed at advancing the development of renewable energy. Once the act takes effect, power companies will receive subsidies for generating electricity from renewable sources as will farmers cultivating crops to be used for the production of alternative energy. The bill also calls for promotion of the use of renewables and for work to raise Taiwan’s renewable power generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts within 20 years.

Although the ROC is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol due to its exclusion from the United Nations, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has implemented wide-ranging measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, though not a signatory to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the EPA has invited international agencies every year since 1993 to verify the volumes of Taiwan’s production, import and export of ozone-depleting substances. It has also submitted these data voluntarily to the Ozone Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Program.

Solar Power

Taiwan is at the forefront of the design and production of solar or “photovoltaic” cells, which convert sunlight into electricity. With over 70 companies involved in the solar industry, the nation has become a major exporter of the cells. In 2008, the annual production value of Taiwan’s solar-energy sector rose from US$1.75 billion in 2007 to US$3.21 billion, ranking fourth globally. Taiwan also has one of the highest installed capacities of solar water heaters worldwide, thanks in part to government subsidies of US$48 to US$71 per square meter of solar panels installed.

Completed in February 2009, the stadium that hosted the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games has raised the bar in green architecture. A total of 8,800 solar panels cover 14,155 square meters of the structure’s roof and have the capacity to generate over 1.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, translating into a reduction of 660 tonnes (metric tons) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

Meanwhile, Hemei Township in Changhua County is home to the nation’s first residential area to benefit from a “solar community” initiative unveiled by the Bureau of Energy (BOE) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs in March 2008. Under the program, the BOE subsidizes the installation of solar-power systems in complexes of at least 15 buildings or 120 households. For a solar community to qualify for subsidies, its photovoltaic systems must have a total capacity of no less than 40 kilowatts-peak (maximum output under ideal conditions). The bureau will subsidize installation with up to US$5,000 per kilowatt-peak and provide qualifying complexes with solar-powered streetlights. In addition, solar communities will be linked to the national power grid, so that they will have access to power should they need it, while being able to contribute energy to the network when producing electricity beyond their needs.

Until now, shortages of polysilicon—a material required for the production of wafers used in photovoltaic cells—have been an obstacle to the industry’s development in Taiwan. This is set to change, however, as the nation’s first polysilicon production plant is scheduled to begin operation in the third quarter of 2009. The plant is currently under construction in Yilan County’s Letzer Industrial Park, which is becoming a new focus of activity for Taiwan’s solar industry. As of July 2009, a cluster of nine firms representing various segments of the solar supply chain occupied over 40 hectares of land in the park.

Alternative Fuels

Around the world, nations are turning to biofuels produced from plant materials as renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. Among them, cellulosic ethanol is seen as particularly promising, and Taiwanese scientists have succeeded in producing this form of fuel from rice straw. Fuels made from agricultural waste, such as rice straw, are referred to as “second-generation” biofuels. They have the added benefit of not impacting food supplies, unlike first-generation biofuels made directly from sugar cane or corn, for example. By the end of 2009, the government plans to have set up a pilot plant to produce 99.5-percent pure cellulosic ethanol.

The Council for Economic Planning and Development has announced that by 2011, ethanol-blended gasoline—known as “E3” as it is made up of 3 percent ethanol and 97 percent gasoline—will be available nationwide. The installation of E3 fueling pumps around Taiwan is expected to lower CO₂ emissions by 210,000 tonnes per year. Since 2007, government vehicles in Taipei City have been running on E3 fuel, while all of Kaohsiung City’s public buses have been required to use a biodiesel blend. Kaohsiung is the second city in Asia to introduce such a measure, after Kyoto, Japan.

Wind Power

More than 190 sets of wind turbines have been installed in Taiwan by publicly and privately owned firms, which together generated 589,300 megawatt-hours of electricity in 2008. The turbines are located on the west coast of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, areas seen as “gold mines” for wind. State-run Taiwan Power Company has another 56 turbines under construction and plans to build an additional 50 by 2015.

Air Quality

The Air Pollution Control Act empowers various levels of government to set air quality standards and establish monitoring stations. Air quality is monitored by the Taiwan Area Air Quality Monitoring Network, which comprises 76 stationary and two mobile monitoring stations and one air-quality assurance laboratory. Eight photochemical monitoring stations monitor ozone precursors in metropolitan areas across the country, playing an important role in atmospheric research and health risk assessments. According to data from the EPA, the rate of “poor-air-quality” days (when the pollutant standards index recorded by monitoring stations exceeds 100) for 2008 was 2.87 percent—the lowest in five years. Current air quality in Taiwan and next-day forecasts are issued daily on the EPA’s Web site.

Greening Cities

The EPA’s Clean Air Zone program greens urban spaces while improving air quality and carbon sequestration. From 1996 to the end of 2008, trees were planted on 1,635 hectares and a total of 266 kilometers of bicycle paths were laid out. It is estimated that these efforts have removed an average of 17,680 tonnes of ozone, 884 tonnes of airborne particulate pollutants and 40,664 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year. The EPA will continue to create green urban spaces by planting 30 hectares of trees and laying down 10 kilometers of new bicycle paths annually.

Reducing Vehicular Emissions

A number of measures are being used to reduce air pollution caused by motor vehicles with excessive emissions, including routine exhaust inspections and spot checks of motorcycles and diesel vehicles. To gain the assistance of the public in identifying high-polluting vehicles, since January 2009, the EPA has been rewarding anyone who submits photographs showing such a vehicle’s license plate and thick emissions.

Government agencies also provide incentives for buying vehicles that minimize pollution. Purchasers of hybrid electric vehicles, for example, qualify for substantial cuts in commodity taxes. Meanwhile, cars that run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are becoming increasingly popular, and those buying such cars or converting a car to LPG receive a subsidy of US$635. By July 2009, 30 LPG stations had been set up around Taiwan, with this number set to increase by 130 over the next five years.

Pollution Control Fees

Since its implementation in 1995, the Air Pollution Control (APC) fee system has led to marked improvements in Taiwan’s air quality. The EPA levies APC fees on both stationary sources of pollution, such as factories and construction sites, as well as mobile sources, such as motor vehicles. Fees are charged for the release of a variety of pollutants, including suspended particulates, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxide (NO_X) and sulfur dioxide.

A measure was introduced in October 2008 to reduce fees by 40 percent for enterprises that install catalytic filtration equipment and keep NO_X emissions below 40 parts per million. The measure is expected to reduce NO_X emissions by over 16,000 tonnes per year.

TFT-LCD Industry Goes Green

Taiwan is one of the world’s largest producers of thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal displays (TFT-LCD) alongside South Korea and Japan. Now it is leading the way in reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the production of display panels. In August 2004, the Taiwan TFT LCD Association (TTLA) signed a memorandum with the EPA, agreeing to cooperate on reducing emissions of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). Recent research has shown that PFCs have a 7,400- to 12,200-times more powerful greenhouse effect than CO₂.

Following the signing of the memorandum, the EPA worked with the TTLA for four years, during which the industry spent over US$63 million on end-of-pipe treatment equipment and on improving energy efficiency, with the result that PFC-emission levels have fallen by 70 percent. PFC removal systems have been installed on 80 percent of the industry’s emission sources, compared with 70 percent in Japan and 10 percent in South Korea. This is estimated to have prevented the release of PFC emissions equivalent to 1.9 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2008.

Indoor Air Quality

Pollution from outdoor sources can easily enter buildings, and there are many forms of pollution that originate indoors. Inadequate air circulation in closed spaces can, therefore, pose significant threats to human health. Given that most people in Taiwan spend an estimated 90 percent of their time indoors, the Executive Yuan approved the draft Indoor Air Quality Management Act in October 2008. Once passed by the Legislative Yuan, the act will allow environmental agencies to conduct unscheduled inspections of buildings designated by the EPA and request improvements where indoor air quality standards are not met.

Recycling and Waste Management

The people of Taiwan have progressed far in recycling and minimizing waste. While in 1997, the amount of garbage produced per capita reached a historical high of 1.14 kilograms per day, by the end of 2008, that number had fallen by almost 51 percent to 0.52 kilogram per person per day. And whereas about 60 percent of people sorted and discarded their refuse properly in 1989, almost 100 percent of people did so in 2008. Moreover, Taiwan’s overall recycling rate reached nearly 42 percent in 2008—higher than those of many advanced nations, including France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Separation of recyclable materials is mandatory, and pick-up services are provided at least twice a week, with garbage trucks collecting and organizing over 30 categories of waste.

The EPA’s Green Mark program has proven an effective means of promoting recycling, reducing pollution and conserving resources. Consumers are encouraged to purchase items bearing the Green Mark logo, which denotes recyclability or a lower environmental impact compared with similar products available. At the end of June 2009, 4,774 types of products carried the Green Mark.

Meanwhile, promotion of food-waste recycling over the past eight years has been highly successful, with the amount recycled per day rising from 80 tonnes in 2001 to 1,920 tonnes in 2008. About 75 percent of food waste is steam-treated for use as pig feed, and 24 percent enters composting systems.

Following are a few examples of Taiwan’s recent successes in promoting recycling practices:

• In 2008, Taiwan recycled more than 50 percent of its batteries, thus surpassing the EU’s goal of achieving a battery-recycling rate of 25 percent by 2012.
• Despite a sharp rise in the volume of electronic and electrical waste in recent years, the recycling rate of such products has edged its way above the 50-percent mark. In 2008, 256 tonnes of mobile phones (equal to approximately 1.67 million handsets) were recycled.
• A total of 19,414 computers and 15,929 monitors were recycled in 2008. From these, teams of technicians reassembled 7,210 working computers for donation to 149 social-welfare groups and 4,756 elementary and junior high school students living in remote areas around Taiwan.
• Bulk waste, which includes old furniture, bicycles and clippings from gardening, is collected by appointment. In 2008, about 44,500 tonnes of bulk waste were collected and 19,500 bicycles and pieces of furniture reconditioned. Many articles are auctioned or donated to low-income households. Where reconditioning is not possible, various materials can usually be recovered. Wood from furniture, for example, is made into chips for furnaces and pathways or used as a compost ingredient.

Solid Waste

Incineration is the primary choice for solid-waste treatment, while disposal in landfills is employed as an auxiliary method. Currently, Taiwan has 24 incinerators, which handle household garbage and a large portion of industrial waste. All these incinerators are the waste-to-energy type, whereby heat generated from burning garbage is converted into electricity and sold to Taiwan Power Company. In 2008, a total of 2.88 million tonnes of waste were sent to the incinerators, producing around 295 megawatt-hours of electricity.

Industrial Waste Management

Industrial waste is produced primarily by factories, hospitals and businesses. The EPA is working with other government agencies to raise the percentage of industrial waste that is properly treated. Under the Waste Disposal Act, manufacturers must assume responsibility for their waste or face fines, and those who dump hazardous waste that causes loss of life can be sentenced to life imprisonment. To prevent illegal dumping of waste, the EPA has initiated a program employing the global positioning system (GPS) to track vehicles that transport hazardous waste. By July 2009, about 4,500 of the nation’s 7,000 vehicles transporting hazardous waste, as well as all chemical tankers, have been required to install GPS devices.

Toxic Chemical Substance Control

Nearly 20,000 chemical substances are regularly used in Taiwan, of which approximately 6,000 are highly toxic. Pursuant to the Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act, the EPA has listed 258 toxic chemicals that require permission to be produced, imported, exported, sold or used. Companies dealing with toxic chemicals are required to keep records of the amounts of such substances they have handled and discharged.

EPA officials regularly take part in technical conferences related to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). In accordance with the convention, Taiwan has enacted the Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act and the Environmental Agents Control Act, which prohibit the use of POPs in Taiwan.

Ocean and River Water

With international maritime traffic especially busy in the waters around Taiwan, the Marine Pollution Control Act and the Marine Oil Pollution Emergency Response Plans provide an important framework for government efforts to deal with and prevent marine pollution.

In 2008, two incidents caused sizable damage to local ecosystems. An Indonesian ship ran aground off the coast of Orchid Island in October, followed one month later by a Panama-registered cargo ship that grounded off the coast of Taipei County. To handle such incidents and other ocean-related issues more effectively and under the umbrella of one organization, on April 9, the Cabinet approved a plan for the establishment of a Council of Maritime Affairs.

Industrial effluent and wastewater from livestock farms account for a large part of the pollutants in Taiwan’s rivers. Urban communities are also major contributors, primarily because they lack comprehensive sewage and wastewater-treatment systems. One of the targets of the large-scale i-Taiwan 12 Projects (see Chapter 9, “Economy”) proposed by the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou is to develop more efficient sewage systems nationwide.

Nevertheless, progress continues to be made in river restoration. Within a few short years, for example, a crash program executed by the Kaohsiung City Government has transformed the once highly polluted Love River into a clean and attractive leisure area featuring a plethora of activities, ranging from boating and biking to dining and shopping. Sampling stations along Taiwan’s rivers and streams monitor water quality, and increasing attention is being given to water treatment.

Forestation

The Council of Agriculture (COA) announced in February 2009 that, over the next eight years, it would plant trees on 60,000 hectares of lowlands. Under this forestation program—one of the i-Taiwan 12 Projects—the COA will provide a subsidy of nearly US$3,700 per year for every hectare of land reforested. In another initiative under the same plan, it will develop three forest recreation areas in the counties of Chiayi, Hualien and Pingtung.

Over half of Taiwan—mostly mountainous and hilly regions—is covered by forest, and six reserves, comprising over 21,000 hectares of natural forest, have been set up to protect this important part of Taiwan’s heritage. The Forestry Bureau conducts regular surveys of the reserves to monitor ecosystems, including rare plant and animal species.

Wildlife Protection

Taiwan’s diverse topography has endowed it with a full range of climatic zones that allows an extraordinary profusion of flora and fauna to thrive. In all, Taiwan is home to approximately 50,000 different life forms, of which around 30 percent are endemic. To help ensure ecosystems remain as intact as possible, the government has set aside almost 20 percent of the nation’s land area as national parks, nature reserves and forest reserves, as well as wildlife refuges and habitats. (See Chapter 19, “Tourism,” for a description of national parks and nature reserves.) The protection of Taiwan’s species diversity is also governed by the Wildlife Conservation Act.

The 17 wildlife refuges in Taiwan listed below encompass almost 26,000 hectares of land and sea.

• Dadu River Mouth Wildlife Refuge (Taichung and Changhua counties)
• Formosan Landlocked Salmon Refuge (Taichung County)
• Hsinchu Coastal Wildlife Refuge (Hsinchu City)
• Lanyang River Mouth Waterbird Refuge (Yilan County)
• Mao Island Seabird Refuge (Penghu County)
• Matsu Islands Tern Refuge
• Mianhua Island and Huaping Island Wildlife Refuge (Keelung City)
• Nanzixian River Wildlife Refuge (Kaohsiung County)
• Sicao Wildlife Refuge (Tainan City)
• Taichung County Gaomei Wildlife Refuge
• Tainan County Zengwen River Estuary North Bank Black-faced Spoonbill Refuge
• Taipei City Waterbird Refuge
• Taitung County Haiduan Xinwulu River Fish Refuge
• Wang-an Island Green Turtle Refuge (Penghu County)
• Wuweigang Waterbird Refuge (Yilan County)
• Yilan County Shuanglianpi Wildlife Refuge
• Yuli Wildlife Refuge (Hualien County)

Noise Control

The dense concentration of residential and commercial buildings in Taiwan’s cities makes noise a common subject of public-nuisance complaints. The Noise Control Act authorizes local governments to maintain the tranquility of living environments by designating noise-control areas where certain activities are prohibited at specific times.

In December 2008, a revision of the Noise Control Act was promulgated that defines maximum noise levels for highways, freeways, railways, mass transit systems and airports. Whenever noise exceeds these levels, the relevant managing authorities or operators are now legally bound to submit and implement a compensation or noise-reduction plan. The revised act also gives authorities the power to halt construction work and business activities, as well as to suspend operating licenses.

To help reduce public annoyance caused by low-level noise and vibration from construction sites, since January 2009, the EPA has been inspecting sites and enforcing new standards. Members of the public can also report violators by calling a hotline (0800-066-666). EPA inspectors will then be dispatched and will issue warnings if they find that noise levels exceed the stipulated limit. If the contractor ignores the warning, it will be fined and may be forced to halt construction.

A Conservation Ethic Emerges

In adopting green lifestyles, the people of Taiwan are collectively one of the main forces behind the nation’s environmental achievements. At the same time, efforts on various fronts are heightening environmental awareness. The EPA carries out educational projects in collaboration with schools at all levels. It also works with the media to promote environmental protection through programs and films, and publishes a range of books and pamphlets. In addition, the COA sponsors international symposia and publicity campaigns, while the Ministry of Education trains teachers to educate children on wildlife conservation. Private conservation groups (see list below) also play a key role in raising environmental awareness and providing conservation training, often by working directly with local communities.

In a movement initiated by the local private organization Society of Wilderness in 2005, Lights Out Day has been held annually on the first official day of summer. For this event, individuals and organizations are encouraged to turn off their lights as a reminder to reduce pollution. In 2008, nine cities and counties took part. Besides local governments, participants included high-speed rail stations, Taipei 101—the world’s tallest completed building—and 54 other landmark buildings, along with businesses, communities and individuals around the island. Lights were also turned off across Taipei City on March 28, 2009, as it joined almost 4,000 cities in 88 countries for the Earth Hour event organized by the World Wildlife Fund.

Members of the public have, since 2002, formed voluntary river patrol squads, which report incidences of pollution to relevant authorities. By March 2009, some 400 patrol squads, comprising about 8,600 volunteers, were in operation.

In 2008, 459 communities took part in the tree-planting plan under the i-Taiwan 12 Projects (see “Forestation,” pp.162-163). Together, they planted trees on 1,560 hectares of land.