• Young Designers’ Exhibition - Voices and Solutions for Taiwan’s Environmental Issues from a New Generation

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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?

    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

    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

  • Sea-Girdled Taiwan Creates First Central Marine Agency

    Sea-Girdled Taiwan Creates First Central Marine Agency

    TAIPEI, Taiwan, September 1, 2015 (TEIA) – Taiwan is establishing a new government agency to coordinate and implement the island country's marine policies and strengthen conservation of its ocean environment.Taiwan's legislators passed a law in June that enables the creation of a cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council and subordinate agencies, including an Ocean Conservation Administration and a Nati

  • Taiwan's Overseas Nuclear Reprocessing Plan Stalled

    Taiwan's Overseas Nuclear Reprocessing Plan Stalled

    TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 28, 2015 (TEIA) – Taiwan Power Company, the state-owned utility that operates Taiwan's three nuclear power plants, proposed a pilot project late last year to send 1,200 spent fuel bundles overseas for reprocessing.The company has requested a budget of NT$11.25 billion (US$356.4 million) to manage eight percent of its total used fuel rods. Under the plan, one-fifth of the sent

  • Losing Farmland, Taiwan Seeks to Limit Development

    Losing Farmland, Taiwan Seeks to Limit Development

    TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 7, 2015 (TEIA) ─ Prime farmland is being lost to development across Taiwan, posing threats of food shortages and environmental pollution and causing farmland prices to soar.To keep farmland for agriculture, rules that limit purchase or construction of farmhouses to farmers could take effect as early as June 30, says Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture.The goal of the draft regulat

  • RCA Taiwan Ex-Workers Win Pollution Lawsuit

    RCA Taiwan Ex-Workers Win Pollution Lawsuit

    TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 17, 2015 (TEIA) ─ The Taipei District Court has ruled in favor of former assembly line workers employed between 1970 and 1992 at the now-defunct electronics company Radio Corporation of America, or RCA.On April 17, the former U.S. company was found to have dumped toxic waste at its Taoyuan factory in northern Taiwan, polluting the soil and underground water. Described as the wo