On 15 September, the MOENV published on its official website (https://gov.tw/oU4) the 2021 report in the Taiwan Emission Data System (TEDS), an inventory of air pollution emissions. It shows that the emissions of major air pollutants have decreased by nearly 19% compared to the previous report (reference year 2019). When comparing the monitoring data for fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), the annual average concentration has also decreased from 16.2 mg/m³ in 2019 to 14.4 mg/m³ in 2021. This indicates that the joint efforts of the central and local authorities in promoting air pollution control measures have been effective.

The latest emission inventory (TEDS 12) shows a continuous decrease in major air pollutants. Among them, PM_2.5 emissions have decreased by 23.5%, sulfur oxides (SOx) by 19.6%, nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 17.7%, and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) by 19.2%. Moreover, the emission inventory used to be updated every three years in line with the practice of advanced countries such as the United States. However, with improved operating methods, it can now be updated biennially.

The MOENV provided the reasons for the reduction in air pollution emissions in 2021. The main reasons include the continued implementation of air pollution control programs and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in some changes in economic activities. In the industrial sector (point sources), even though there was a 7% increase in energy consumption and a 9% increase in the number of regulated factories in 2021 compared to 2019 due to the increase of overseas business orders shifting to Taiwan, the major air pollution emissions still decreased by 8.5% from those of 2019. This reduction is attributed to cross-ministerial promotion of boiler improvements (2,502 units) and improvements in state enterprises, such as Taiwan Power Company, as well as stricter control measures.

In the transportation sector, in 2021, due to the increased demand for logistics and transportation during the Level 3 pandemic alert, the total mileage of diesel trucks increased by 5%. However, there was a 7% reduction in the mileage of private cars. In addition, the MOENV’s efforts to replace old diesel vehicles (24,000 vehicles) and old motorcycles (1,298,000 vehicles) have yielded significant reduction results, leading to a 26.5% decrease in major air pollution emissions.

As for other types of air pollution, in 2021, the total area of construction projects increased by 46% compared to 2019, leading to increased pollution. However, in 2021, the MOENV tightened the regulations in the Management Regulations for Construction Project Air Pollution Control Facilities (營建工程空氣污染防制設施管理辦法) and enforced stricter limits on the sulfur content of marine fuel. It also promoted the use of straw-degrading fungi, reduced burning of joss paper by 10%, and provided guidance for kitchen smoke improvement in the food industry, resulting in a reduction of 23% in major air pollution emissions.

The MOENV emphasized that while there has been a trend of reduced air pollution emissions in recent years, achieving further reductions is becoming increasingly challenging. In addition to the implementation of the first phase of Air Pollution Control Program (from 2020 to 2023), which has resulted in improved air quality after the pandemic, the ministry has formulated the second phase of the Air Pollution Control Program (from 2024 to 2027), which is currently under review at the Executive Yuan.

Excerpt from Major Environmental Policies, September 2023