Training key for top jobs
While readers might have noticed that this year has been hotter than any previous year, have they also considered that it is likely to remain the coldest for the rest of their lives (“Boiling point: Warming and the Pacific Ocean,” Nov. 8, page 9)?
The exponential growth of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations means exactly that: all future years will likely be hotter than this one. Now science tells us that it is not only greenhouse gases that endanger the very livability of our planet, but also biodiversity loss, deforestation and fertilizer use (“The future of our planet is in the balance,” Nov. 21, page 9). As the planet lurches ever closer to dangerous thresholds, politics, as usual, appear to be completely out of its depth to deal with such “super wicked” problems, as Swedish academic Johan Rockstrom calls them. Well, perhaps it is indeed time for ecologists to rule the world (“Long live the Turquoise Republic,” Sept. 29, page 12).
I can already hear the cries of “eco-fascist” ringing in my ears (“Climate change in Taipei,” Aug. 12, 2013, page 8). However, consider that, in many countries, we already made the police, prosecution and courts independent from the government, and sometimes even the central banks.
Moreover, we do not allow those without proper training to take jobs where people’s lives are on the line: doctors, pilots, train drivers. So is it not time to take our environmental and public health out of the hands of the short-termist, opportunistic, politically blindsided and thus ultimately often irresponsible politicians?
Should well-trained ecologists with proper degrees make decisions that affect the air, water, soil, climate, oceans and those other “global commons?”
This is going to be a hard sell because, after all, if Lady Gaga burps, more people tweet about that than if the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration exceeds 400 parts per million for the first time in at least 3 million years.
However, is that not the best reason to conclude that a vast majority of people would actually like to see decisions about environmental and public health issues be deferred to properly trained and appointed professionals, as we have done with doctors and judges, instead of continuing to suffer from politicians pissing into the wind when it comes to long-term, global challenges that threaten the very basics of life on this planet?
Just look at the latest string of short-term decisions in Taiwan’s politics: widen the income gap by pandering to corporate fat cats (“Trade pact a gift for elite: protesters,” Nov. 22, page 1) and other rich people (“Revoking of capital gains tax approved,” Nov. 18, page 1) and boosting consumerism (“Tax cuts aim to boost new car demand,” Nov. 13, page 13) instead of protecting public health (“Playing politics with people’s lives,” Sept. 19, page 8).
It is time to welcome the Rockstroms taking over for a while.
Flora Faun
Taipei
No concensus on consensus
The results of an opinion poll by the Taiwan Brain Trust that were released on Wednesday last week show that cross-strait relations, which 6 percent of respondents rated as a priority, are important to Taiwanese only next to economic development (63 percent), government efficiency (12 percent), and social fairness and justice (9 percent) (“Do cross-strait relations matter,” Nov. 22, page 8).
However, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) likes to consider cross-strait relations as the top priority. For example, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) both keep pressing Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to explain her pledge to maintain the “status quo” and to obey the KMT-fabricated so-called “1992 consensus.”
Ma used to describe the consensus as “‘one China’ with respective interpretations,” although China has never let Taiwan have its interpretation.
In his Nov. 7 meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Singapore, Ma voluntarily revised the consensus to the one “on the basis of the ‘one China’ principle.” In essence, he declared that the Republic of China (ROC) has merged with the People’s Republic of China.
Chu defines the consensus as “both shores belonging to one China.” He replaced Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) as the KMT’s presidential candidate because she pledged “‘one China,’ with the same interpretation” and said that “the ROC does not exist.”
Ma, Chu and Hung are now united in their interpretation of the “1992 consensus.”
In addition, Chu is using “one Taiwan” as his campaign slogan. He seems to promote “one Taiwan, one China” and abandon the ROC completely. Is this a campaign trick or, as many netizens say, proof that he really “hates Taiwan” (怨台灣, pronounced in Taiwanese)? Voters have the right to ask Chu to clarify this.
Ma also has to explain three things to Taiwanese: why he changed Taiwan’s “status quo” without their consent in the last six months of his term, why China repeatedly threatens Taiwanese as if they are enemies if he thinks China is so good and what happened to his “golden decade.”
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
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