Survey shows environmental consciousness up

People in Taiwan are more aware of the environment than ever before but are still inclined to put economic interests first, a survey released by the National Science Council yesterday shows.

According to a mid-term report for the Sustainable Taiwan 2011 (永續台灣2011) project, the public believes that the government rather than business should shoulder the blame for the deteriorating environment.

Even when it comes to national economic development projects that may result in environmental damage, the public would rather support the projects.

Faced with controversial environmental issues -- such as building waste incinerators or landfills -- the public would support sacrificing the minority to benefit the majority, the survey found.

In addition, the public believes that advances in technology bring more benefits than disadvantages. The public also believes that technology can solve problems people might encounter in the future, according to the poll.

The survey also shows that people care about economic vulnerability more than environmental fragility.

The study was drawn from 1,452 samples collected in 1999. Researchers also had 85 NGOs active in Taiwan fill out the same questionnaire in the same year as a reference point.

Research team leader Michael Hsiao (蕭新煌), an Academia Sinica sociologist, said at a press conference yesterday that one of the goals of the survey was to find out how to harness social forces to promote environmental consciousness.

"I had assumed that environmentalists have a more acute understanding of environmental issues and demand more effective environmental policies, and the survey proves that assumption," Hsiao said.

Hsiao said that environmental groups could be the "vanguard" who will lead society to reach the goal of sustainable development.

The survey indicates that environmental groups usually urge the government to adopt economic or legal means to preserve natural resources and the environment.

Hsiao said that the final goal for the project was to push the government to plan ahead for environmental protection instead of trying to deal with issues as they happen.

"I think an `island consciousness' (海島意識) should be promoted here," Hsiao said, adding that the survey showed that both the public and NGO activists are only now slowly grasping this concept.

Next year Hsiao will include governmental plans pertaining to environmental protection in the report to pinpoint differences in opinions between the public, NGOs and the government.