News Brief: Reducing Taiwan's Carbon Footprint -- Eat Less Meat

The Environmental Protection Administration that Taiwan ranks 17^th worldwide in terms of per capita carbon footprint, reported today's Taipei Times (full article here). The figure of 19.6 kilograms/day puts Taiwanese above Japan, South Korea and China, and is almost four times the level recommended by the United Nations.

Suggested ways of reducing this figure included taking public transport and riding bicycles, reducing the use of air conditioning, washing clothes by hand rather than using machines, taking showers rather than baths, walking up stairs rather than taking elevators, and watching less television and playing fewer video games.

But the biggest saving possible is by cutting the eating of meat and animal products, the article explains. With 5.7 kilograms (29 percent) of Taiwanese people’s daily footprint attributable to their average consumption of 432.5g of meat, this far outweighs the 3.4kg due to air conditioning and 1.7kg due to car travel.

                                                                                                                      Text and photos © Jiyue Publications 2011