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Prior studies primarily suggest that the generation of medical wastes maintains a positive relationship with national incomes. In contrast, higher incomes may lead to improved health status, consequently resulting in lower generation of medical wastes. Under this circumstance, an inverted U-shaped curve may be used to describe the generation of medical wastes along with economic growth. Additionally, illegal disposal is believed to have a high impact on human health. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the presence of the environmental Kuznets curve for both the generation and illegal disposal of medical wastes by using a model of the environmental Kuznets curve. The results find the generation of medical wastes is positively affected by incomes, but this paper identifies the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve phenomenon for illegal disposal. Both the generation and illegal disposal of medical wastes are positively affected by medical capacity but negatively affected by medical policy. The primary contributions of this paper are three-fold. First, this paper is the first to focus on the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve phenomenon for both the generation and the illegal disposal of medical wastes. Second, this paper confirms the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve for the illegal disposal of medical wastes. Illegal disposal may be blocked when national incomes reach a specific level, and thus, the government may focus on the formulation of medical policy to encourage reduced demand for medical care. Third, this paper finds that the implementation of medical policy may have an important effect on inhibiting the generation and illegal disposal of medical wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper systematically reviews the conditions of energy supply and demand in Taiwan and further investigates the energy issues it has been confronted with as well as its objective of energy policy adjustment. In view of the trend of supply-side reform in mainland China energy sector under the New Normal economy and the background of the “Belt and Road” initiative, the paper points out the significance and development prospects of cross-strait energy cooperation. Main contributions of this paper are: by forecasting the future trend of power demand growth in Taiwan, the power shortage in the future of Taiwan is analyzed. On this basis, the paper analyzes the existing contradictions between Taiwan's energy transition policy and its current problem of power shortage, and the feasibility as well as the significance of electricity transmission to Taiwan for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan's per capita carbon emissions ranks first in Asia. Whether Taiwan's current "2025 Non-Nuclear Homeland" energy transition policy can achieve the goal of greenhouse gas reduction is an issue that needs to be studied urgently. On the basis of studying the status quo of energy supply and demand and carbon emissions in Taiwan, this paper first uses an econometric model to predict Taiwan's energy demand from 2021 to 2030, and then uses a Markov chain model to predict its energy structure changes and CO 2 emission trends under different scenarios, and evaluates the impact of its energy transition policies on carbon emission reduction goals. On this basis, by comparing the carbon trading markets on both sides of the Taiwan strait, the feasibility of and obstacles to the cross-strait cooperation in the carbon trading market are discussed in depth, and the opportunities for future cross-strait cooperation in the carbon trading market are proposed innovatively. The empirical results of this paper show that the carbon emissions in 2025 under the energy transition policy will be reduced by 59.8–61.1 million tons compared with those without planning constraints, but compared with the carbon reduction target (a reduction of 124.8–133 million tons), there is still a long way to go. The contribution potential of the annual carbon emission reduction target is only 45.9%–47.9%, and the contribution potential in 2030 is 57.2%–60.1%. The current "2025 Non-Nuclear Homeland" policy is not in line with Taiwan's current reality, and it is difficult to achieve the expected carbon reduction goal. In order to realize the energy transition in Taiwan in the future, it is necessary to make overall planning of energy policies, explore the cross-strait power cooperation model, and gradually try to build a cross-strait carbon trading market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining the most economic benefits while using the least resources and causing the least environmental damage is an urgent and key problem in achieving sustainable development. The concept of eco-efficiency provides a comprehensive perspective for observing and solving this problem. This paper proposes an extended data envelopment analysis model, named the WIN-US-SBM, as a comprehensive eco-efficiency evaluation method that can accommodate undesirable outputs, all the identification problems of decision-making units (DMUs), possible slacks of variables, and the problems of an insufficient number of available DMUs and intertemporal comparability. China's Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone (WTS Economic Zone) is an important regional economic growth center. By applying WIN-US-SBM and ArcGIS software, we investigated data on the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of eco-efficiency in the WTS Economic Zone for the years 2009–2016. Later, the global Malmquist–Luenberger index was used to decompose the sources of growth in eco-efficiency. Finally, the main driving factors of eco-efficiency were explored through a Tobit regression analysis. The empirical results show that: (1) The overall eco-efficiency of the WTS Economic Zone had greatly improved, increasing by 11.46% annually, and the cumulative growth rate of eco-efficiency was 110.84% from 2009 to 2016. (2) The eastern area had the highest average eco-efficiency, followed by the western area and the middle area in that order. Also, the growth rate of the middle area ranked first (16.68%), whereas the eastern area had the slowest growth in eco-efficiency (7.22%). (3) On the whole, the growth of eco-efficiency was driven mainly by technological progress and was restricted by the decrease in management level, which implies that policy makers should focus on improving management and technical levels. (4) High levels of economic development, population density, market openness, and industrial structure had positive effects on the eco-efficiency of the WTS Economic Zone, whereas energy intensity and expenditure on science and technology had negative impacts. • An extended DEA model is proposed to measure eco-efficiency more comprehensively. • The proposed model can be widely applied to input-output efficiency evaluations. • The eco-efficiency of the WTS Economic Zone was evaluated based on a novel model. • The growth of eco-efficiency was driven mainly by technological progress. • The eco-efficiency level is negatively related to energy intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study proposes a two-stage approach to perform metafrontier analysis of the pollution efficiency of administrative regions in Taiwan during 2004–2015. The empirical research shows that New Taipei City and Taipei City have the best performances in terms of metafrontier efficiency and the technology gap ratio. In addition, the average score for pollution efficiency in municipalities is higher than that in non-municipalities for three environmental management indices. However, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions face different environmental problems in that the former should pay attention to sewage treatment, while the latter should focus attention on preventing air pollution. Finally, Taiwan presents disparity in the environmental technology gap ratio between these two types of regions. Highlights • This paper examines the pollution efficiency of administrative regions in Taiwan during 2004–2015. • New Taipei City and Taipei City have the best performances in terms of metafrontier efficiency and the technology gap ratio. • Taiwan has a disparity in the environmental technology gap ratio between the two types of regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In general, enterprises should pay close attention to sustaining sufficient competitiveness in turbulent global business environments that focus on sustainable operations, especially environmental issues. It is obligated for enterprises to protect the environment, utilize sustainable resources and establish eco-industries. Many large enterprises have joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). However, the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) pay various degrees of attention to environmental issues and sustainable operations. This paper investigates the sustainable development and innovation of 233 SMEs in Taiwan to find out how to develop a business model that helps them operate in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way. According to our results, a sustainable business model is a key factor for competitive advantages with straightforward connections to business success. Results also indicate that a sustainable business model is performed with the agreement of colleagues in an organization and it requires comprehensive strategic efforts. This study has limited findings to show the insights of Taiwanese SMEs and should not be generalized in other contexts. Highlights • We investigate the sustainable development and innovation of 233 SMEs in Taiwan. • SMEs pay various degrees of attention to environmental issues and sustainable operations. • A sustainable business model is a key factor for competitive advantages. • To achieve sustainable development requires comprehensive strategic efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Promoting biofuel to replace fossil fuels and alternative utilization schemes to replace conventional measures of biomass waste disposal have been considered a priority to mitigate CO 2 emissions. Despite fewer land resources and higher reliance on imported energy and raw material resources, the potential for bioenergy supply in a place like Taiwan should be fully investigated. This paper presents a case study regarding the utilization of waste biomass derived from an enhanced production of rice paddy and from the forest sector in Taiwan for biofuel production. In this study, the carbon balance for the two aforementioned bioenergy production scenarios was calculated. The amount of biomass waste expected to be derived from rice husk and rice straw produced from currently planted paddy and from reactivated fallow rice paddy was estimated. Forest sector wastes consist of biomass derived from processing domestically harvested and post-consumer harvested wood products. The projection was made up to 2065. The overall annual bioenergy providing potential of the biomass, estimated by this study, to replace gasoline through bioethanol production and residual combustion and to substitute coal for power generation via combustion were approximately 222.37 PJ and 206.77 PJ, respectively. These values represent 332.56% and 323.24% of the current level of bioenergy supplies, compared to the 76.4 PJ from biomass and waste incineration in 2016. This is the first time the bioenergy potential of post-consumer harvested wood products is being identified. Highlights • Potential of bioenergy from forest sector is identified. • Potential of bioenergy supply from reactivated fallow rice paddies is identified. • 254.06 PJ can be converted by bioethanol production and combustion of residue. • 246.92 PJ can be converted by obtained by combustion. • Up to 332.56% of the current level of bioenergy supplies can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction, a number of countries have implemented carbon tax policies, and carbon pricing has become an important tool. This paper discusses the interactions between a government and an enterprise for implementing carbon taxes over time or by level of tax, considering greenhouse gas emission. We examine the impacts of various carbon tax policies on enterprises' investments in new technology, their reductions in production quantity, and governments' tax remittances. A case study of the strategic responses of three firms in Taiwan's electronics, cement, and steel industries to two carbon emission policies promulgated by government shows that appropriate levels of tax can induce an enterprise to alter its production processes to achieve emission reduction as part of a long-term business strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) industry is fast evolving and is heavily affected by the government policies. In this study, it has been attempted to present a detailed comparison of the solar PV industry of five countries (i.e., Taiwan, 1 China, Japan, Germany and USA) in terms of policy, industry and supply chain analyses. Based on a rich description and mapping of PV supply chain, it's found that China is the biggest producer and consumer of PV products and Taiwan is only strong in solar cell production. The double-anti duties make Taiwan overly reliant on China and Taiwan gradually loses its competitive advantage even in cell production. The success of China is explained adopting Porter's national competitiveness perspective based on the supply chain analysis. Finally, some recommendations are provided to improve national competitiveness for Taiwanese solar photovoltaic industry. This paper contributes to the clean production literature by providing a comprehensive mapping of PV industry supply chain, comparing the industry of five countries and making tailored policy recommendations to Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we calculated the water footprint (WF) of second-generation bioethanol and hypothesized that second-generation bioethanol feedstock in response to the gradual depletion of fossil fuels has contributed to exorbitant international oil prices. To resolve these problems, countries worldwide have actively engaged in developing alternative energy plans to reduce their dependence on petroleum. Bioethanol is a critical choose items of biofuels, and increased use of biofuels for transportation is expected to substantially raise the level of competition for freshwater resources. In this paper, Taiwan's second-generation bioethanol demonstration plant is used as an example to calculate the WF of second-generation bioethanol. Using bagasse and rice straw as raw materials, the water footprint are 268.8 L H 2 O/L EtOH and 4674.9 L H 2 O/L EtOH, respectively, which is considerably lower than that of first-generation bioethanol. In this study, we proposed two sources of feedstock that are suitable for future second-generation bioethanol: (1) nonfood crop materials; and (2) domestic waste (e.g., food waste). The results of this study can be used by countries interested in using biofuels to formulate and implement energy policies that will enable them to develop renewable energy sources and simultaneously consider the management and application of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste sorting is highly labor intensive because the wide variety of waste items prohibits automation. More recently, deep learning (DL) and computer vision technology has presented an opportunity to streamline the sorting process, but many important developmental steps remain. If computer vision technology can increase the efficiency of automated waste sorting, this would be beneficial for society and the environment. Accordingly, this study used the You Only Look Once-v3 (Yolo-v3) detection model based on DL to enhance recognition performance of household waste products. TrashNet, a commonly used waste image database, was used to train an initial Yolo-v3 model, however each image used for training only had a single waste object, and this study found that the detection model trained with a single object dataset was not only unsuitable for sorting multiple waste objects, but that this has rarely been addressed in academic literature. It was also discovered that nations and regions will need to develop their own unique databases that reflect the types of waste products found. Samples images need to account for the various appearances and colors and be combined in multiple waste object images when training the system. This paper documents the training and testing of an object detection model suitable for detecting domestic waste specific to Taiwan; however, the approach taken would be of use to other countries seeking to automate waste sorting. To achieve this, it was necessary to compile the Taiwan Recycled Waste Database (TRWD). This was then used to train the Yolo-v3, and the efficiencies of this, versus the standard TrashNet model were compared. Results showed that the TRWD-trained Yolo-v3 achieved mAP @0.5 of 92.12% and could detect waste in real-time. Relative to the TrashNet-trained Yolo-v3, the TRWD counterpart performed better due to the multiple waste objects and more relevant image repository. Further studies are recommended to investigate the effect of combining additional sensors that would enable improved detection of specific wastes. Combining the TRWD-trained Yolo-v3 with a robot system for waste sorting would potentially be another rewarding avenue of research. [Display omitted] • Automatic waste detection improves waste recycling efficiency. • Different nations require customized datasets to train Yolo-v3 detection model. • Taiwan recycled waste dataset (TRWD) was expanded to improve detection rates. • Yolo-v3 trained on the TRWD outperformed the same system using TrashNet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that proactive environmental strategies can affect the business performance of the hotel industry. However, very few research has focused on the B&B sector. This paper aims to fill this gap and explores the relationship between environmental quality and the business performance of B&Bs. This research adopts the Air Pollution Index (API), as well as the volume of garbage generated per capita and the volume of recyclable waste generated per capita as proxy variables of environmental quality, to examine the impacts on business performance such as occupancy rate (OR) and average daily rate (ADR) for the B&Bs industry in Taiwan from 2009 to 2018. The results show that there is a positive significant relationship between the volume of recyclable waste generated per capita and the B&Bs' ADR, and an inverse significant relationship between the volume of garbage generated per capita and B&Bs' OR. Furthermore, locating on outlying islands significantly increases OR, which may reflect under supply or higher demand elasticity for B&B services in those areas. These findings contrast to the literature by highlighting that the difference in business models between hotels and B&Bs can affect the impact of environmental commitment on their business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the prediction of wind power generation has served as a prerequisite problem for determining the objective of the reliability and low–cost power system performance. The difference between conventional deterministic prediction and probabilistic prediction is that the first types ignore the uncertainty of the wind speeds. In this paper, a novel probabilistic prediction method as improved lower–upper bound approximation is applied for building the reliable prediction intervals, which is based on the system that uses the mathematical models of the environment to prognosticate the weather based on existing meteorology (Numeral Weather Prediction System). To verify the worth of the proposed method, forecasting modes in this study are divided as hourly and daily predictions, which are applied to seven wind farms of Taiwan. In addition, adapting parameters in improved lower–upper bound approximation method is performed by resorting to the charged search system algorithm. Also, to increase the prediction speed, the probability density function of wind speed is used, and to decrease the estimation model volume, the kernel density estimation model is applied into the proposed method. The simulation results in comparison with other methods indicate that the prediction intervals produced by the proposed method outperformed and its indices are better. The average error between prediction and real data in the proposed method obtained as about 11%, while other methods error is more than 15%. In addition, three prediction interval indices are used in order to evaluate the different studied manners as: prediction interval overlay probability, normalized average of prediction interval length, and overlay width scale. As the results shown, the best performance is related to the proposed method. Image 1 • Using of the developed LUBA for forecasting the wind power in both daily and hourly modes. • Using of the CSSA for optimization of the model parameters in the ILUBA. • Applying the KDE method to decrease the NWPs data dimension. • Using of the PDF to create the wind speed ensemble model for increasing the prediction speed at the all processing states. • Verify the proposed model by applying it in the real–wind farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies the technological innovation system framework to the case of the fuel cell sector in Taiwan. Many Asian latecomers, such as Taiwan, tend to adopt a top-down approach to emphasize the importance of environmental issues but the result is limited. We aim to take Taiwan's fuel cell innovation system as an example to explore why Taiwan has formulated a technological innovation system to engage universities, research institutes, and firms to undertake R&D and entrepreneurial activities, but the results are still limited with respect to innovation and commercialization. This paper identifies the problems and challenges in Taiwan's fuel cell innovation system by using an embedded case study to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the systems in seven system functions. The study contributes to the increased understanding for the development of renewable energy from the perspective of latecomer nations whereas the mechanism behind technological transition and the strategies of actors within technological innovation systems deserve closer attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Taiwan, a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions occur as a result of anthropogenic activities and rapid urbanization. In order to comply with the 'Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act' and the "Nationally Determined Contribution" to abide by Paris Agreement, the Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration has devised a framework for a carbon offset mechanism before a cap and trade scheme is introduced. This paper gives a snapshot of the Taiwanese context in implementing offset projects using a combination of a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) for the development of domestic carbon offset projects. An analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and a technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) are used for quantitative analysis to identify the most feasible strategic alternatives in the SWOT matrix. A comparison analysis is conducted to compare the framework and governance of the Taiwanese carbon offset mechanism to a clean development mechanism (CDM). The results show that the weaknesses identify a potential alternative and the strengths and opportunities significantly overcome the threat. Therefore, the priority strategies include the establishment of an integrated authority, the development of more governmental agencies and an improvement in the economy. Finally, a sound cap and trade scheme, stakeholder involvement, public-private-people partnerships and goals that allow sustainable development are proposed. • Current status and progress of carbon offset mechanism in Taiwan were reviewed. • Challenges and barriers on carbon offset were evaluated through a SWOT analysis. • Case on carbon offset projects in Taiwan was demonstrated in the post-CDM context. • Strategies on developing cap and trade system for low carbon economy were proposed. • Prospects of future national carbon offset mechanism such as SDGs were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]