And here they go again
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) released a handbook to “encourage” consumers to make environmentally conscious decisions (“Consumers encouraged to make eco-friendly choices,” Sept. 17, page 5). This is yet another example of the laughable fig-leaf environmentalism of the current government (“Fig-leaf environmentalism,” Aug. 28, 2012, page 8).
While I am all for environmental education, “encouraging” people is never enough to bring about systemic change.
Imagine that the government were to print a handbook asking people to consider driving on the right side of the road and not to run red lights.
It would not work, because traffic flow requires everybody, not just those who are considerate, to obey the rules.
The same idea applies to the environment: Even if you could convince half of Taiwan’s citizens to behave in an environmentally conscious manner, the other half would still wreak enough environmental devastation to eventually see the ecosystem collapse.
The government is completely incapable of conceiving the need for systemic change.
Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) economic policies “outdated” (Sept. 6, page 3), but their environmental policies are hopelessly outdated as well.
This year is set to be the hottest year on record. Taiwan is one of the nations responsible for fishing the oceans empty (“Global marine life has fallen by half since 1970: WWF,” Sept. 17, page 1) and while the list of planetary calamities increases, the government continues to pursue cute little projects that make a quick splash in the media, but do not fundamentally alleviate any of the impacts on the environment.
Pandering the public for behavioral changes provides a smoke screen for the government, when actually they are not pursuing any of the necessary changes: converting the fossil fuel system to a renewable energy system (“Expert touts renewable energy,” Sept. 19, page 3); forcing corporations to recycle; removing cars from the roads and building public transportation; saving energy by insulating buildings rather than building more nuclear power plants. Is there anything more irresponsible than to burden future generations with toxic nuclear waste? (“Nuclear fuel rod plan panned,” Sept. 4, page 3) The list goes on.
However, the KMT is no different from any other government in the world which panders to the neo-liberal dogma of “the market will regulate it” — somehow, using its magical, invisible hand.
Another thing that is invisible is God. So this assertion of a magical market force is nothing more than quasi-religious dogma, and not borne by facts.
Rather, the facts are: Social and financial inequality is growing worldwide; the planet’s environment is going down the drain; millions of people are on the move and our leaders continue to twiddle their thumbs.
Flora Faun
Taipei
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with