Under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) and the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan (EETO), representatives from 14 European trade representative offices and the New Taipei City Government engaged in a beach cleanup activity at New Jinshan Beach on Saturday (Oct. 14).
A total of 150 people participated in the event, cleaning up about 345 kilograms of garbage and 87 kilograms of materials that could be recycled. The beach cleanup not only sought to reduce marine garbage but also draw attention to the environment and educate the public, per a MOENV press release.
This is the fifth cleanup MOENV and EETO have jointly conducted, stretching back to 2018. The ministry said the cleanup is part of a larger plan that includes source reduction, regular and emergency beach cleanups to better manage coastal resources, with an aim to get every inch of Taiwan's coast clean. It believes that beach cleanup activities are an indispensable part of environmental education.
EETO head Filip Grzegorzewski said environmental protection is a global issue that no one country or region can achieve alone. In this regard, the EU needs partners and friends, and it thanked Taiwan for its efforts in this regard. Grzegorzewski also congratulated Taiwan on the establishment of the Ministry of Environment, allowing for more attention and resources to better tackle climate and environmental issues.
In response to climate change, Taiwan announced the Climate Change Response Act this year, which establishes 2050 net-zero emissions targets. To achieve this, the ministry said, joint efforts will be needed by all citizens, businesses, and NGOs. At the conclusion of the beach cleanup, some of the garbage collected were used to form the word "ZERO."
At Saturday's event, the MOENV provided support in the form of environmentally friendly cups instead of bottled water as well as reusable tools to conduct the beach cleanup. In addition to cleaning the beach, the event hoped to inspire participants to engage in source reduction and implement simple changes in everyday life to help clean our ocean and our overall environmental pollution.
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