Minister of Environment Shieu Fuh-sheng (薛富盛) on Wednesday said he is to step down after the May 20 inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) next month.
Fifteen members of the Lai administration’s Cabinet have been named so far, but no appointment has been announced for environmental minister, leading to speculation that Shieu, who oversaw the agency’s upgrade into a ministry in August last year, might stay on after Lai takes office.
However, speaking to reporters ahead of a legislative committee hearing on Wednesday, Shieu said he would not be continuing as minister after May 20, and would instead return to academia.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
As he would be aged 65 next year, Shieu said he planned to return to National Chung Hsing University and apply to postpone his retirement, so that he can continue teaching and researching.
At the hearing, Shieu was asked what he saw as the three most important issues that his successor would face.
He said that one major task would be the implementation of Taiwan’s new carbon fee system, as well as reducing carbon emissions as the country looks to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Taiwan’s carbon fee program was initiated this year, and is to assess yet-to-be-announced carbon fee rates based on emissions this year, with payments due next year, similar to the income tax.
The new minister would also have to focus on reducing plastic use, Shieu said, adding that the UN is expected to reach a binding agreement on plastic pollution by the end of this year.
The ministry would also have to find logistical solutions for the nation’s waste processing issues, particularly in the short term as several incinerators in the country undergo repairs and upgrades, he said.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
COMMUNITY SPIRIT: As authorities were busy with post-typhoon cleanups elsewhere, residents cleaned fallen leaves and cut small fallen trees blocking the hiking trails All hiking trails damaged by Typhoon Kong-rey have been repaired and has reopened for people who want a refreshing hike in Taipei during the Lunar New Year holiday, a city official said. The Taipei Basin is known for its easily accessible hiking trails. It has more than 130 trails combined into the 92km-long Taipei Grand Trail, which was divided into seven major routes when it was launched by the Taipei City Government in 2018. Last year, a part of the sixth route of the Grand Trail collapsed due to Typhoon Kong-rey, which hit Taiwan in October. The damaged section belongs to one
RSS