Wen said that while he was disappointed with the EPA, he was “not surprised at all” as “this is in line with what Shen had been doing since his days as the director of the Taipei City Environmental Protection Bureau.”
During Shen’s term as director, he asked Taipei citizens to make carbon reduction a city-wide effort, Wen said.
“For example, he asked that people reduce the number of lights in their homes and to turn off their engines while idling … I’m not saying these campaigns are wrong, but when the problem of global warming is so severe today, would these efforts actually help the situation much?” he asked.
Liao said he was worried about Taiwan’s natural systems, as the EPA’s environmental impact assessments for the country’s major developments are not strict enough.
“If Shen’s mentality is to approve all these proposals thinking that he will clean up after them later, Taiwan’s environment will face collapse,” he said.
One example is the proposed fourth phase expansion to the Central Taiwan Science Park, which drew controversy because the new phase will use up a lot of Central Taiwan’s water resources, even as the region battles with drought every year, Liao said.
“With the cleanup mentality, Shen is going to try and find water for the park, and then think about how he is going to deal with the water and air pollution from it afterwards,” he said.
Cleaning up after polluters, instead of regulating pollution sources, is the least efficient way of protecting the environment, Wen said.
The source of a lot of pollution can be alleviated by reducing consumption, Wen said.
“I would encourage the government to think in the context of how we can develop a green economy — developing renewable energy plans, energy-conserving appliances and eco-friendly goods, instead of filling their brains with economic wellness.”
Other higher order environmental issues the EPA needs to focus on are regulations that encourage people to make changes in their current lifestyles, Pan said.
For example, implementing carbon taxes could alleviate some of the public’s income tax duties, while encouraging companies to be more environmentally conscious when they design their products or construction projects, he said.
The government should also pass renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction laws, Pan said, “or at least make cities more bicycle-friendly, for example by making bike lanes on roads and encouraging companies to set up in-house shower stalls, so more people can switch to carbon-free vehicles.”
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