111年8月2日環保署張子敬署長，在美國環保署助理署長Jane Nishida、外交部亞太司周民淦司長、駐澳大利亞代表處賴維中公使的見證下，開啟與南半球最重要的大氣化學研究重鎮，澳大利亞聯邦科學與工業研究組織海洋及大氣中心的共同合作，運用環保署提供之我國製造的汞濕沉降採樣裝置，建置汞濕沉降監測站，並由澳洲辦事處副代表Michael Googan代為接受，澳大利亞也成為2012年環保署與美國環保署共同發起的亞太汞監測網，第16個夥伴國家。
環保署與美國環保署在聯合國於2017年正式生效汞水俣公約前5年，2012年時即有鑑於印太地區缺乏長期大氣汞背景監測資料，在我國外交部的協助下，共同發起亞太汞監測網(Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network, APMMN)，協助印太地區夥伴國家提升大氣汞濕沉降監測相關能量。目前夥伴遍及印太地區15個國家的政府及學術單位，在澳大利亞的加入後，將補足大氣汞監測網在印太地區最後一塊重要的拼圖，對整體印太地區的監測資料完整性作了相當大程度的提升。
環保署也期待能以此次合作為契機，呼應國際科學界近年亟呼加強南半球及小島國家的汞監測量能，持續與美國環保署及澳大利亞政府合作，進一步推展南太平洋及小島國家的汞監測量能，共同推動國際環境品質監測。
On August 2, 2022, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced its cooperation with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) to establish a mercury wet deposition monitoring station at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory using a Taiwan-made instrument. The cooperation ceremony was attended by Director Dr. Daniel J. Metcalfe of Oceans and Atmosphere at CSIRO, Assistant Administrator Jane Nishida of the US EPA, Director General Wallace M.G. Chow of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and Deputy Representative Ken Wei-chung Lai of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia. Deputy Representative Mr Michael Googan of the Australian Office received a model of the instrument on behalf of CSIRO representing the cooperation. The Oceans and Atmosphere Group at CSIRO is the largest government-supported atmospheric chemistry academic center in Australia and is renowned in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury entered into force in 2017. The Taiwan EPA and the US EPA initiated the Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network (APMMN), in 2012, with support from the MOFA. One major objective of the APMMN is to assist countries in the Indo-Pacific region to develop their mercury monitoring and assessment capacities. Currently, the APMMN is operated by the National Central University and has 15 partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia, as the final piece of the puzzle, has become the 16th partner country of the now-complete APMMN.
This ceremony highlighted Taiwan EPA’s goodwill toward international cooperation, and the need for the international community to strengthen the mercury monitoring capacity in the Southern Hemisphere and the Indo-Pacific region. With the new monitoring station in Australia’s Northern Territory, the Taiwan and US EPA’s will deepen cooperation with Australia’s CSIRO to provide new insights into mercury emissions in the region as we work together to reduce mercury in the atmosphere and protect the environment.