Cars, industry blamed for southern Taiwan pollutionBy Huang Yi-ching and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerVehicle emissions and industrial pollution play a significant role in triggering poor air quality alerts in the nation’s south, the Ministry of Environment said yesterday, citing research by academics in Taiwan and the US. NASA airplanes equipped with sophisticated sensors conducted three flyovers in 2024 in collaboration with Taiwanese academics to measure air pollution using LIDAR, drones, balloons and observation teams, the researchers told a news conference. Pollutants from vehicles were notable in measurements on days of dangerously poor air quality, showing the effect that private vehicles have on air pollution, said You Chih-yuan (游智淵), a scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Environment. The findings might prompt the ministry to devote more resources to regulating air pollution generated by daily life, You said. Surges in pollution from industrial sources might have tipped the balance during periods of poor or dangerously poor air quality, said Wang Chia-lin (王家麟), a professor of chemistry at the university.

Source: Taipei Times January 06, 2026 17:19 UTC