The organizers of the Taipei Marathon are to conduct carbon footprint verification for the first time in the event’s history this year, as the Taipei City Government is seeking to reduce carbon emissions with the goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said yesterday.
The organizers have tasked the British Standards Institute with measuring carbon emissions, Tsai told a news conference ahead of tomorrow’s event.
The data would be used as a reference in the event’s efforts to reduce emissions by 3 percent every year until it meets the city’s requirements in 2050, he said.
Taiwan’s net-zero deadline corresponds with goals set by international organizations and major economies.
“The 2050 net-zero carbon emission goal should not be all talk, but no action,” Tsai said. “Such a big sporting event should consider how carbon emissions can be reduced every year. I think this is an important issue that connects us all in a global society.”
Taipei Department of Sports Commissioner Li Tsai-li (李再立) said net-zero emissions by 2050 is not just the marathon’s target, but that of the city as a whole.
“We hope that whenever sports events are held, people can also take time to understand the importance of conservationism and environmental protection,” Li said.
The marathon would reduce single-use plastic and other materials linked to carbon emissions by using recyclable and naturally decomposable materials, including for cups at water stations, the organizers said in a statement.
Recycling materials would also be used for trophies and finisher certificates, the marathon said, adding that it had replaced its fleet of gasoline-powered scooters with electric ones.
Fubon Financial Holdings, a major sponsor of the event, has pledged to plant 100,000 trees across Taiwan within the next five years, the organizers said.
The race is to feature 12 elite international athletes, Tsai said, adding that they have all finished 14 days of quarantine and seven days of self-health management.
The 12 would join a field of about 26,000 competitors, of which 8,000 had signed up for the marathon and 18,000 for the half marathon, he said.
Tsai said that 934 foreigners from 59 countries living in Taiwan had also signed up.
The Taipei Marathon has been held annually since 2001, with runners from east Africa typically dominating the race.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS