Taiwan’s government representatives may not have been allowed to participate in the negotiation process at the Paris Climate Change Conference, but civic society organizations made their presence felt.
A number of committed climate activists from Taiwan, along with environmental groups and researchers, represented the nation at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP 21), which took place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.
Because Taiwan is not a member of the UN, activists had to use other means to garner international support in order to gain entrance.
Photo: Jason Pan, Taipei Times
“We represent young people in Taiwan who are concerned about global warming and its effects,” said William Cheng (程泫尹) who spoke on behalf of an environmental organization from Canada.
Cheng’s organization is classified as part of the “Youngo” (Young People’s Organizations) — non-state entities given observer status.
Other non-state entity groupings include “Engo” (Environmental Organizations), “Tungo” (Trade Union Organizations) and“IPO” (Indigenous Peoples Organizations), among others.
Lindsey Wu, an environmental activist from Taiwan, who fell under the “Engo” category, has participated in climate change meetings in the past.
“It has been very difficult for someone from Taiwan to attend these UN climate forums because the Taiwanese government is excluded from the process, and this also precludes effective participation by us NGOs,” she said.
Wu added that at times, it was frustrating to see many small Third World nations entering COP 21 venues and engaging in climate negotiation.
“It’s like the world has invited everyone to a big party, but when mentioning that we are from Taiwan, the door is slammed shut to keep us out in the cold.”
Wu believes Taiwan should forge stronger bonds with its Pacific allies such as Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands — all who were well-represented at the COP meetings.
Ghazali Ohorella, an executive of Pacific Island Youth Network, said: “Taiwan is part of the global community, and they are suffering from the effects of global warming, just like other nations; Taiwan and its NGO representatives should be allowed to participate as an equal member in the COP 21 process.”
Instead, Taiwan’s government was only allowed to send a delegation of 50 people headed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Paris. However, they tried to make the most out of the circumstances. On Dec. 10, a press conference was held at the Representative Office of Taiwan to discuss future goals such as gaining observer status at upcoming COP 21 events.
In addition, the government delegation has co-sponsored programs and seminar talks at venues of the official COP 21 site.
While smaller NGOs fought tooth and nail to participate at COP 21, larger organizations, by contrast, filled up most of the booths at COP 21’s NGO halls; they included the Tzu Chi Foundation, the Tang Prize Foundation and Delta Electronics Inc.
From the last quarter of 2001, research shows that real housing prices nearly tripled (before a 2012 law to enforce housing price registration, researchers tracked a few large real estate firms to estimate housing price behavior). Incomes have not kept pace, though this has not yet led to defaults. Instead, an increasing chunk of household income goes to mortgage payments. This suggests that even if incomes grow, the mortgage squeeze will still make voters feel like their paychecks won’t stretch to cover expenses. The housing price rises in the last two decades are now driving higher rents. The rental market
Fifty-five years ago, a .25-caliber Beretta fired in the revolving door of New York’s Plaza Hotel set Taiwan on an unexpected path to democracy. As Chinese military incursions intensify today, a new documentary, When the Spring Rain Falls (春雨424), revisits that 1970 assassination attempt on then-vice premier Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國). Director Sylvia Feng (馮賢賢) raises the question Taiwan faces under existential threat: “How do we safeguard our fragile democracy and precious freedom?” ASSASSINATION After its retreat to Taiwan in 1949, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime under Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) imposed a ruthless military rule, crushing democratic aspirations and kidnapping dissidents from
It looks like a restaurant — but it’s food for the mind. Kaohsiung’s Pier-2 Art Center is currently hosting Comic Bento (漫畫便當店), an immersive and quirky exhibition that spotlights Taiwanese comic and animation artists. The entire show is designed like a playful bento shop, where books, plushies and installations are laid out like food offerings — with a much deeper cultural bite. Visitors first enter what looks like a self-service restaurant. Comics, toys and merchandise are displayed buffet-style in trays typically used for lunch servings. Posters on the walls present each comic as a nutritional label for the stories and an ingredient
Fundamentally, this Saturday’s recall vote on 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers is a democratic battle of wills between hardcore supporters of Taiwan sovereignty and the KMT incumbents’ core supporters. The recall campaigners have a key asset: clarity of purpose. Stripped to the core, their mission is to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They understand a basic truth, the CCP is — in their own words — at war with Taiwan and Western democracies. Their “unrestricted warfare” campaign to undermine and destroy Taiwan from within is explicit, while simultaneously conducting rehearsals almost daily for invasion,