Disastrous energy policy
Same old, same old. Having lived in Taiwan for five years, the lack of progress in changing to an energy-efficient, low-carbon economy has increasingly exasperated me. Another example of how misguided Taiwan’s energy policies are was hidden away in the business pages of the Taipei Times: Taipower announced that its new coal-fired power plant adopted ultra-supercritical technologies, which increase power generation efficiency and lower emissions (“Taipower outlines trial run for new generator in Linkou,” Aug. 8, page 16).
You just know that they are overselling something if they need to use so many hyperbolic adjectives! And besides not telling us by how much emissions are actually lowered, even if there was some reduction, it still remains a power plant run on super-polluting, planet-wrecking fossil fuels.
Even if all of the world’s fossil fuel power plants adopted this so-called ultra-supercritical technology, global warming would still wreck the planet’s climate and ecosystems within the next few decades.
This whole disastrous energy policy and the timing of this particular announcement are particularly ironic because an editorial printed on the very same day called for a 70 percent reduction of emissions by 2030 for the European Union (“Time to turn climate change commitments into realizable targets,” Aug. 8, page 7). If Taiwan’s government had any sense of responsibility towards future generations, it would implement similarly ambitious goals, as should all the governments of the world.
As the editorial emphasized, such ambitious goals would be good for the environment and the economy. Air pollution would be reduced, Taiwan’s industry would become more productive, less money would be given away to oil dictatorships, and energy independence would improve Taiwan’s strategic security, especially in case of a sea blockade by China. Such reductions are technologically and economically feasible, but the political will is simply not there. Taiwan’s government seems unwilling to confront Taipower’s ultimately disastrous continuation of fossil-fuel and nuclear energy production.
And why did Taipower build this additional power plant anyway? Because global warming is causing Taiwanese people to use more and more electricity for air conditioning during the current record-breaking heat wave (“High heat, plant woes trigger orange alert at Taipower,” Aug. 2, page 3). This is what is called a suicidal feedback loop: hotter weather leads to more greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn makes the weather even hotter, which in turn… And so on.
So when will Taiwan finally become a responsible nation and begin an immediate and aggressive reduction of climate change inducing greenhouse-gas emissions (“The avertable death of world heritage sites,” July 27, page 9)? Do all the corals around Taiwan have to die (“Coral bleaching prompts call for fishing reductions,” July 22, page 5)? Do more people have to die (“Taipei man dies of heat stroke,” July 30, page 3)?
I am exasperated, and I am frustrated, and I am angry. But unless more Taiwanese people feel the same and act on it, nothing much will change, to the serious detriment of Taiwan’s and the world economy and ecology.
Flora Faun
Taipei
Trump’s cult of personality
I read the article and marveled at the damage listed in the article when Taiwan was led by the cult of personality (“Democracy and the cult of personality,” Aug. 11, page 8).
It is true that democracy is not compatible with the cult of personality as evidenced by Taiwanese history, case in point Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and the White Terror period, a time in which absolute power led to numerous abuses by the government. The cult of personality includes an infamous list of members: Benito Mussolini, Chiang, Mao Zedong (毛澤東) and others. Hopefully in the United States voters will reject Republican candidate for president Donald Trump in November — a man who has thrived on the cult of personality — because it’s just too dangerous to entrust presidential leadership in such a man.
Dave Hall
Taoyuan
All athletes require support
As the whole nation is welling with pride over the Olympic medals won by Taiwanese athletes, a few of them have failed to advance and are out of the Games. As we praise the medal winners, we should also show or encouragement and appreciation for those who will not win a medal.
That is why it was saddening to see one athlete feel forced to pull out of the Olympics due to reoccurring old problems. Each of the athletes who do not win a medal have also been working hard, but they missed their chance, perhaps because of physical problems or bad luck. One should not stop praising them just because they didn’t win, they also need the confidence they can get from the public’s concern.
Part of the spirit of being an athlete is to reject arrogance in victory and not to be downcast in defeat. Taiwanese should also give these athletes their support and praise, even if their results in Rio are not what they had hoped for. Victory and defeat are both an integral part of sports: if you hold back your tears, recharge your batteries and do your best to prepare, that could be you on the podium next time around.
Liu Hsiu-fang
Taipei
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