THOUSANDS PROTEST AGAINST AIR POLLUTION IN TIACHUNG AND KAOHSIUNG |還我健康空氣 台中高雄串連反空汙大遊行

Yesterday thousands of protesters rallied in Taichung and Kaohsiung to protest against air pollution, asking the government to amend the current Air Pollution Act and calling the government to pay more attention to the air quality in central and southern Taiwan. ==PROTESTERS== Anti-air pollution! Recovering blue sky! Holding up slogans and banners, over three thousand protesters from Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung participated in the anti-air pollution demonstration. ==PROTESTER junior high school student == The green on my face means my hope, no matter in Kaohsiung or whole Taiwan, restore our nature-like environment. In southern Taiwan, over 190 days a year, residents have suffered from unhealthy air. Some areas were caused by pollution made within the cities while some were influenced by other cities such as Pingtung County has suffered from neighboring city. ==LU TAI-YING Dir., Pingtung County Environmental Protection Bureau== 2/3 of pollution came from other cities. During winters, 1/4 of pollution came from the upwind area. The pollution made within Pingtung County limits was only 1/12. No matter what, we have to start from ourselves, minimize this 1/12. The air quality indexes from last winter, Kaohsiung had serious unhealthy indexes especially the districts of Siaogang, Zuoying and Daying ranked the top three. Environmental protection groups petitioned to the government for amending the Air Pollution Act and urged starting with energy policy. ==CHEN CHIAO-HUA Chief Convener, Kaohsiung Anti-Air Pollution Demonstration== The Dalin Power Plant cannot use bituminous coal for generating electricity. We demand them using natural gas. ==YANG WEI-FUU Vice-Minister, Ministry of Economic Affairs== Regarding the coal-burning power plant, as long as the plant is to make facility improvement, we urge them to make improvements based on modern technology, in order to assure the plant meets the standards of air pollution emissions. The Ministry of Economic Affairs commits to have gas-burning power plant increased to 50% by 2025. The Environmental Protection Agency emphasizes, it is to complete Air Pollution Draft before June of this year. TRANSLATED BY：ANTHONY LIN 中南部秋季期間空氣品質普遍不佳，環保團體下午在台中和高雄同步舉行反空汙大遊行，兩地都有數千民眾響應，訴求政府修空汙法，提出具體改善作法，要求承諾空污天數逐年遞減。 ==NS== 反空汙 找藍天 舉標語，拿布條，反空汙大遊行下午從高雄中央公園出發，包括台南、高雄和屏東，有超過三千人來響應，大家自己化妝、做道具，表達訴求。 ==反空汙國中學生== 我臉上綠色的部分 我就是希望 整個不管是高雄 還是整個台灣 就是可以有個 回復像我們大自然一樣的環境 在南部，空氣品質不好的日子，一年超過190天，有的是境內汙染，有的是被鄰近縣市影響，像屏東縣工業少，入冬一樣空氣指數超標。 ==屏東縣環保局長 魯台營== 三分之二從境外 冬天四分之一從上風處 我們真的汙染只有十二分之一 但是無論如何我們要 從我們十二分之一這個地方先做 不過去年冬季空汙指標，仍以高雄最嚴重，小港、左營和大營分居全台前三名，發起遊行的環保團體在遊行最後交出陳情書，希望政府修改空汙法，訂出具體改善作法，尤其要從能源政策做起。 ==高雄反空汙遊行總召集人 陳椒華== 大林燃煤發電廠不能用生煤發電 我們要求用天然氣發電 ==經濟部次長 楊偉甫== 燃煤電廠的部分 只要它進到後續要改建的階段 我們都是朝改建成現在科技 最能夠保障空汙排放量的標準的電廠 經濟部承諾2025年燃氣電廠會提升到50%，環保署也強調，會盡快在上半年完成空汙法草案。 記者 王介村 孟昭權 綜合報導