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Taiwan’s Environmental Performance and Outlook

Taiwan’s Environmental Performance and Outlook. Winston Dang, Ph.D., MPH Minister, Taiwan EPA Woodrow Wilson International Center August 16, 2007. Contents. Taiwan’s environmental loading Taiwan’s environmental quality and the impact from China International cooperations

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Taiwan’s Environmental Performance and Outlook

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  1. Taiwan’s Environmental Performance and Outlook Winston Dang, Ph.D., MPH Minister, Taiwan EPA Woodrow Wilson International Center August 16, 2007

  2. Contents • Taiwan’s environmental loading • Taiwan’s environmental quality and the impact from China • International cooperations • Taiwan’s environmental achievements in municipal waste management • Green consumption • Conclusion

  3. Characteristics of Taiwan

  4. Environmental Loading

  5. Taiwan’s environmental loading population/vehicles/pigs factories 700 3.0 640 Population, motor vehicles and hog production 600 2.8 568 500 Registered factories 400 300 2.48 200 2.4 199 100 Population (people/km2) Motor vehicles (vehicles/km2) Hog production (hogs/km2) Registered factories (factories/km2) 2.2 0 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year

  6. Environmental quality─Rivers • Yearly improvement of river water quality • Percentage of seriously polluted river segments dropped from 15.8% (2003) to 6.2% (2005). In the same period: • Percentage of moderately polluted river segments: 11.3%  19.71% • Percentage of lightly polluted river segments: 13.4%  9.91% • Percentage of minimally or non-polluted river segments: 59.9%  64.21% • 20% decrease in total discharge from water pollution sources in past 8 years • Household wastewater now makes up 50% of pollution sources

  7. Environmental quality─Air • Steady decrease in percentage of poor air quality days (excepting 2.0% increase in 2003~2004) • Downward trend resumed by 2005 • Percentage of good air quality days is decreasing • Percentage of average air quality days is increasing good average poor

  8. Environmental Performance Index • Taiwan ranked 24th in 2006 Environmental Performance Index conducted by the World Economic Forum, which is in the top 20%.

  9. International Environmental Affairs • Taiwan-Mongolia environmental cooperation • 2007 Taiwan-Pacific Allies Environmental Ministerial Meeting • ODS reductions • Initiatives on transboundary movement of wastes • Climate change issues in China and the impact to Taiwan • Taiwan EPA willing to collaborate with China’s SEPA • Bilateral cooperation with US, Canada, Japan, EU…

  10. International cooperation: Bilateral cooperation • Taiwan-US Cooperation since 1993: Introduced American pollution-prevention technology and management experiences • Over 130 cooperation projects: • Energy Star Program • MARKAL Model • Greenhouse gas mitigation • River basin management • Solid waste management • Toxic chemical substance management • Risk management • Regional air quality monitoring and forecasting Lulin Monitoring Station – a cooperation project between Taiwan and the US

  11. Taiwan-Mongolia environmental cooperation • The Taiwan EPA are eager to share our experiences, such as waste management and resource recycling • Three personnel from Ulan Bator, Mongolia were invited to Taiwan in June 2007 to receive training in waste management, resource recycling and garbage collection vehicle maintenance.

  12. 2007 Taiwan-Pacific Allies Environmental Ministerial Meeting • The 2007 Taiwan-Pacific Allies Environmental Ministerial Meeting was held in Taipei, Taiwan on July 26 to 27, 2007. • Environmental ministers and officials from Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands. • The issues included climate change, environmental resource management, sustainable development, etc. This is the first time Taiwan and our Pacific allies held a ministerial meeting on environmental issues.

  13. 2007 Taiwan-Pacific Allies Environmental Ministerial Meeting • Taiwan and Pacific allies jointly declared to strengthen cooperation on environment issues including: 1) establish long-term dialogue between the States on environmental protection; 2) promote technical exchange and share experience in environmental resource management, waste treatment, and sustainable development; and 3) strengthen capacity building for climate change response and develop cooperative projects for impacts and adaptation.

  14. Group photo with President Chen

  15. World Environment Organization (WEO) • Environmental issues, leading to natural disasters or health threatening events, have become a global concern • President Chen suggests that the global village needs a World Environment Organization (WEO), as much as it needs the WTO or WHO • Taiwan is willing to initiate the establishment of WEO

  16. Bird’s eye view of Tuvalu

  17. ODS reductions Taiwan is: • Participating in international conferences and events on climate change and depletion of the ozone layer; maintaining channels for exchanging the latest information • Voluntarily reporting ODS consumption statistics for the previous year • Carrying out ODS control and allocation affairs • Achieving national goals to allocate and eliminate ODS • Keeping abreast of other developed nations in controlling and eliminating ODS

  18. Transboundary movement of wastes • Basel Convention was signed in 1989 and implemented on 5 May 1992, already 162 nations and the EC have signed this treaty, which provides common rules for international control of transboundary movement of hazardous waste. • Taiwan acts in compliance with the spirit and rules of the Convention in managing the export, import and treatment of domestic wastes. • The Taiwan EPA reviews waste export and import applications and uses the Internet to aid with review and inspection. Personnel are dispatched overseas to track the flow and treatment of Taiwan’s waste.

  19. Climate change • The UNFCCC took effect on 21 March 1994, followed by the Kyoto Protocol, passed in 1997 and implemented on 16 February 2005 • Taiwan ranks 22nd globally in terms of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel energy • Taiwan is not the member of UN yet, but is strengthening climate change impact assessment and response strategies, drafting the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, creating an industry greenhouse gas inventory framework, developing a voluntary reduction and emissions trading system, and setting goals for a low-carbon economy and society.

  20. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act Framework General Provisions (Articles 1~4) Government Authority (Articles 5~10) Reduction Strategies (Articles 11~17) Educational Outreach (Articles 18~20) Penalties and Supplementary Provisions （Articles 21~28） • Specify emission sources and audit inventory and report • Set greenhouse gas energy intensity standard • Set required conditions for implementing total emission volume control • Set new emission source restrictions • Inspect and verify • Penalties for nonconformance with inventories and report • Penalties for falsifying report • Penalties for violating energy intensity standard and excess emissions • Penalties for evading authority • Effective date a year after promulgation • Education, promotion and public participation • Green procurement • Energy provider’s responsibility • Citizen responsibility • Objectives • Terminology • Competent authority • Executive Yuan shall determine and assess division of labor, integration, execution and results • Formulate national policies to reduce greenhouse gases • Establish greenhouse gas emission inventory and assist in auditing, registering and voluntary reduction of emission sources. • Review and adjust policies on national energy, industries, operation and residential/business. • Designate responsibilities of local authorities Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act • On 7 March 2007, the Health, Environment and Social Welfare Committee (Legislative Yuan) approved 22 articles of the draft Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act and held back on 10 articles. As for total quantity control targets and emissions allocation methods, consensus has not yet been reached on emissions trading regulations and whether to adopt gratuitous or non-gratuitous methods. Negotiations are still underway.

  21. 1.5 1 0.5 Mean temperature variation (℃) 0 Average : 23.35 ℃ -0.5 Standard deviation ℃ 0.48 : -1 -1.5 年 1910 1914 1918 1922 1926 1930 1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 Year Climate change in Taiwan: Steady annual temperature rise • Over the last century, the average temperature rise in Taiwan ranges from 0.98℃ to 1.43℃, far greater than the global average of 0.6℃ • This year’s temperatures reached a 70-year high in Taipei (37.4℃) and Yilan (38.8℃) Sources: 1. Reuters: Heatwave in Europe, US But is it Climate Change?, 2 August 2006 2. Hsu Huang-hsiung: Climate Change—Past, Present and Future, June 2005 (許晃雄: 氣候變遷的過去現在與未來)

  22. Longer dry spells • The average annual duration of dry spells* has increased from 4 days to 10 days over the last half-century (1950~2004), attesting to drier conditions in Taiwan. • *average taken from 21 monitoring stations with high qualitative consistency Source: Hsu Huang-hsiung: Climate Change—Past, Present and Future, June 2005 (許晃雄: 氣候變遷的過去現在與未來)

  23. Heat waves in the last century and future predictions Regional distribution showing average number of days of maximum summer temperatures 35℃ during ten-year increments of 1990-1999; 2020-2029; 2040-2049; and 2090-2099 • In this study, “heat wave” means maximum temperature 35℃ • Heat wave forecast: Days on which maximum temperatures 35℃ will increase in frequency • Taipei monitoring station: • Average number of heat wave days during 1990s: 22±12.5 • Average number of heat wave days in 2020s predicted at 32±10.9; in 2050s at 44±13.3; and in 2090s at 69±17.7 Source: Liu Chung-ming, Analysis and Forecast of the Occurrence of Abnormal Temperatures and Extreme Rainfall Events in Taiwan (柳中明等，我國異常氣溫與極端降雨事件之發生機率分析與預測，2005年

  24. No Reduction Target Face uncertainty in future reduction obligations Little help to environmental improvement May face international trade sanction Threat to energy security Stringent Reduction Target High reduction costs, reduce international competitiveness, force industry to migrate offshore Improve energy efficiency benefit environment Increase industry’s investment to low-carbon fuels and technologies GHG Reductions Conundrum • Realistic Target • Adopt Bottom-up approach to implement reduction measures based on reduction potentials • Develop indigenous carbon trading scheme • Develop concrete emission reduction action plan prior to adoption of GHG Reduction Act.

  25. Strategies for GHG Reduction • Promote legislative process for GHG Act and Energy Act • Establish industry’s GHG registry and voluntary reduction platform • Strengthen management of energy efficiency, phase out low energy efficiency industries and facilities • Enhance energy technology research and development • Regulate major industrial investments • Strengthen international participation and cooperation • Conduct climate change impact assessment and implement adaptation strategy • Implement citizens’ carbon dioxide reduction and energy conservation campaign

  26. China has highest greenhouse gas emissions • The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency released a report in June 2007, indicating that China’s CO2 emissions in 2006 had already surpassed that of the US. • The figures in this report are estimated using recently published BP (British Petroleum) energy data and cement production data, indicating that US CO2 emissions were 2% greater than that of China in 2005, while China’s CO2 emissions topped the US by 8% in 2006. • According to this report, China’s CO2 emissions increased 9% from 2005 to 2006, while the US’ CO2 emissions decreased 1.4% in the same period.

  27. China has highest greenhouse gas emissions • China’s 9.5% growth in GDP over the last 20 years. Having the advantage of vast manpower and land resources, China is set to become an important player in the global economy. However, this new role will be accompanied by a greater increase in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. • The International Energy Agency indicates that every two years China’s increase in energy generation equals that of the total energy generation of France and Canada. • China’s growth in energy consumption increased by over 8% in 2006, accounting for over 15% of world energy consumption. Greenhouse gas emissions have increased as well.

  28. China’s stance on climate change issue • China refuses to set clear reduction goals • Generally positive stance toward international controls on greenhouse gas emissions set by the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol • China insists on the basic principles of the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol, especially the principles of “common but differentiated responsibility”

  29. Asian Dust Air Pollutants Biomass Burning

  30. Air quality is impaired by dust from China

  31. Importance of LRT mercury • The contribution of the intercontinental atmospheric transport of mercury is comparable with that of regional pollution even in industrially developed regions of the Northern Hemisphere (Travnikov, 2005). (Wilson et al., 2006) • The Asian countries contributed about 54% to the global Hg emission from anthropogenic sources in 2000, and China contributes about 28% to the global emissions of mercury (Pacyna et al., 2006).

  32. Taiwan EPA willing to collaborate with China’s SEPA • The trans-border movement of air pollutants, including dust storms, mercury, industrial pollutants, and byproducts from coal combustion, is a major problem affecting Taiwan’s air quality. • Taiwan can offer assistance to reduce these problems and join in international efforts to help China combat its environmental problems.

  33. Taiwan’s waste management policy • Waste management should aim for zero waste by minimizing generation of waste and maximizing recycling and reuse • In accord with the zero waste policy, the Taiwan EPA has announced the “Waste Management Review and Outlook” and is drafting the “Proposal for Zero Industrial Waste” • As a major producer of electronic products, Taiwan is continually drafting and amending regulations to accord with international trends in e-waste management.

  34. Zero waste goals for municipal waste • Year 2001 is set as the baseline for reductions • Excepting remote areas, garbage may not be landfilled after 2007. Overall reduction targets for the years 2007, 2011 and 2020 are set at 25%, 40% and 75%.

  35. Food waste General waste Recyclables Waste Control Measures (1/3)Mandatory garbage sorting • Directive: • People are required to separate garbage into 3 categories: recyclables, food waste and general waste • Implementation schedule • 1st stage: implemented on 1January 2005 in 7cities and 3 counties: Taichung County, Yilan County, and Kaohsiung County. Pilot projects were launched in 47 townships. • 2nd stage: implemented nationwide on 1 January 2006

  36. Waste Control Measures (2/3)Restrictions on plastic bags and disposable tableware • Targets: government agencies, schools, department stores, shopping centers, hyper marts, supermarkets, convenience chain stores, fast-food chains, restaurants with a storefront • Plastic shopping bags: • Bags with thickness less than 0.06mm cannot be provided • Bags with thickness of 0.06mm cannot be provided free of charge • Disposable tableware • Plastic disposable tableware cannot be provided • Disposable tableware may not be provided in government agencies (from 1/7/2006 ) and schools (from 1/9/2006)

  37. Waste Control Measures (3/3)Restrictions on excessive packaging • The packaging of designated products shall meet the following standards: • Packaging volume ratio: 1 or less • Number of packaging layers: • Pastries, computer software optical disks: 3 or less • Cosmetics, alcoholic beverages and processed foods: 2 or less • Multiple gift box sets: 2 or less • Implementation dates: • 1 July 2006 for pastry gift boxes, cosmetics gift boxes, alcoholic beverage gift boxes and computer software optical disks • 1 July 2007 for processed food gift boxes

  38. Four-in-One Resource Recycling Program Waste Generators Private Recycling System Recycling Industries Communities Recycling Fund Local Government Subsidy Support Government Collection System

  39. Recycling Management Fund manufacturers, importers and retailers of designated mandatory recyclables Fee Review Committee Recycling Fund Management Board Verification Organization Supervisory Committee Recycling Management Fund Function & Operation Responsibility Management Recycling System pay fees to to subsidize Handlers & Processors Collectors Verification organization Local Bureaus Schools Organizations Retail stores Others

  40. 2.鋁容器 3.玻璃容器 4.紙容器 1.鐵容器 5.塑膠類 6.農藥廢容器 Metal containers Aluminum containers Glass containers Paper containers Plastic containers Pesticide containers 14 categories of designated recyclables 7.乾電池 8.廢機動車輛 9.輪胎 10.鉛蓄電池 11.潤滑油 Dry cell batteries End-of-life motor vehicles Tires Lead car batteries Lubricants 12.資訊物品類 13.電子電器類 14.照明光源類 Electronic IT products Household electric appliances Lighting waste

  41. Recycling and reduction achievements: Designated recyclables • Collection of recyclables is handled either through: • collection posts and recyclers • government garbage collection service

  42. Recycling and reduction achievements: Food waste • Food waste recycling volume increased from 216 tonnes in 2001 to 570,200 tonnes by 2006 • Food waste recycling rate increased from 0.003% in 2001 to 7.32% in 2006 Food waste recycling

  43. Six-fold increase Resource recycling volume Resource recycling rate Rate (%) Volume (1,000 tonnes) Recycling and reduction achievements: Resource recycling • Resource recycling volume jumped from 554,700 tonnes in 1998 to 2,758,500 tonnes in 2006 • Resource recycling rate increased from 5.88% in 1998 to 35.41% in 2006

  44. 25,000 1.20 24,331 24,330 23,870 1.138 24,000 1.121 23,468 1.101 1.143 1.135 23,857 1.135 1.10 1.087 23,000 23,268 1.082 22,513 22,000 1.000 1.00 21,861 21,518 0.963 21,000 0.982 19,937 19,833 20,000 0.90 0.900 Daily garbage clearance volume (tonnes) 19,000 0.829 Daily per capita garbage clearance volume (kg) 0.863 18,753 0.80 18,474 18,000 0.752 17,147 17,000 0.708 16,877 0.70 0.667 16,000 16,019 0.605 15,000 15,138 0.60 14,000 13,788 13,000 0.50 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Recycling and reduction achievements • Daily garbage clearance volume increased from 17,147 tonnes in 1989 to 24,331 tonnes in 1997, and thereafter dropped to 13,788 tonnes by 2006 • Daily per capita garbage clearance volume increased from 0.863 kg in 1989 to 1.143 kg in 1997, and thereafter dropped to 0.605 kg by 2006 Year

  45. Comparison of recycling rates Source: OECD Environmental Data 2004

  46. 100 93.01 91.76 landfill 90.44 89.88 88.04 90 88.98 79.15 80 77.83 75.30 82.74 75.06 79.24 73.47 72.66 69.90 70 64.01 60 57.38 Garbage treatment method (%) 51.35 50 47.44 41.01 40 incineration 35.00 30 26.23 29.73 19.61 19.05 23.59 20 22.08 15.62 14.94 stockpiling or other 17.17 9.17 9.45 10 6.27 6.52 5.25 5.74 5.73 5.21 5.21 5.09 3.52 1.57 1.20 0.94 0.37 0.09 0.30 4.86 0 3.19 1.36 0.09 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 1.14 0.40 3.03 Year Recycling and reduction achievements • Garbage treatment methods • By 2006, 82.74% of garbage was incinerated and 17.17% was landfilled

  47. 100 99.77 98.95 99.47 98.17 appropriate treatment rate (%) 96.33 93.70 90.60 90 87.39 83.67 80 Rate of garbage receiving appropriate treatment (%) 76.97 70.87 70.51 70 66.87 65.12 64.98 60.93 60.17 60.20 60 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year Recycling and reduction achievements • Rate of garbage receiving appropriate treatment increased from 60.17% in 1989 to 99.77% in 2006

  48. Green consumption • Green Mark specification standards designated for 99 product categories • 3,425 products approved to carry Green Mark ecolabel (May 2007) • Green clause in Government Procurement Act: Government agencies at all levels are encouraged to purchase environmentally friendly products within a 10% price difference from regular products. • Government agency green procurement ratio up to 88% with spending up to NT$6.38 billion (2006)

  49. Conclusions • Taiwan and the US currently enjoy close cooperation. The US is a leader in environmental management and pollution control technology, and will remain an important partner of Taiwan • In terms of garbage reduction, after years of effort, Taiwan has made great progress and is willing to share its experience with other countries • With its rapid economic growth, China will continue to require a large amount of resources and will generate pollution, which may cross national boundaries. Situated across a narrow strait from China, Taiwan, on the basis of reciprocity, is willing to hold open discussion with China on environmental issues in order to improve regional environmental quality

  50. Thank you for your kind attention

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