Taiwan's Environment Ministry hosted a workshop discussing urban air quality and transboundary pollution across Asia on Tuesday.
The ministry joined NASA’s 7-SEAS project earlier this year to track transboundary air pollutants from biomass burning in Southeast Asia. The "2024 7-SEAS and KPEx Workshop" brought together representatives from NASA, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Bangladesh to work towards collaborative solutions.
Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) says the 7-SEAS project measures major hazardous pollutants and that data shows Taiwan's air quality is on par with Japan and South Korea, with concentrations lower than other developed countries.
Peng says the Environment Ministry will enhance domestic monitoring and regulation of factory emissions. However, he adds that air pollution in Taiwan is not solely caused by local industrial activities but also involves atmospheric circulation and cross-border transport.
Peng also expressed hope to jointly launch a Taiwanese air quality satellite with NASA in the coming years, which would allow Taiwan to play a crucial role in monitoring pollution across Asia and globally.