Over the last two years, the Taiwan government has undertaken several research programs designed to gather sector-level environmental performance data for benchmarking purposes, according to Taiwan-based environmental consultant Mr. Sean Gilbert. The government�s interest is driven by several factors, including the need to rationally allocate water and energy resources, a desire to assess levels of cleaner production, and an interest in being able to compare the performance of different industry sectors.

In a report prepared for the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP), Mr. Gilbert notes that one area where political concerns could potentially drive better environmental reporting is in the so-called "strategic industries." Many economic planners argue that certain industries such as steel or cement are indispensable to Taiwan�s national security.

In cases where poor environmental performance has become unacceptable to the regulatory authorities or the general public, but elimination of the sector is not an option, policy makers will have to settle for demanding continuous improvement.

"Environmental performance metrics such as pollution intensity ratios will provide a potentially useful way to set improvement targets and structure performance-based programs," his report states.

Mr. Gilbert also notes that officials in both the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) and EPA have stated that Taiwan�s environmental laws are moving away from simple emissions standards and towards a system of pollution permit allowances. Actual implementation of permitting systems will not occur in the short-term, but some government agencies (e.g. Kaohsiung municipal government) are experimenting with pollution caps on a local basis. Developing an allowance system would be likely to require baseline data on average pollution intensity for an industry to help determine equitable allocations of pollution rights. As the system progresses, intensity benchmarks could potentially also form the basis for reducing the number of permits allotted or rewarding companies with superior performance.