The arrival of the year 2000 means a new, exciting era, and wine and liquor have been an indispensable part of millennium feasts. In recent years, red wine has replaced brandy as the favorite choice at parties in Taiwan. Its gentle and fruity flavor is a strong contrast to brandy's strong and fragrant taste. The difference is primarily the result of wine-making process: wine is fermented while brandy needs to be distilled. The level of alcohol in red wine is far lower than that found in brandy.
A certain distinguished microbiology professor always asks his students on the first day of classes, "Why is it that the alcohol level of red wine rarely exceeds 15 percent?" The answer is simple: the yeast used for fermentation turns grape juice into alcohol, and since alcohol kills bacteria, the yeast is destroyed once the level of alcohol reaches a certain level. In other words, the thriving of yeast eventually leads to its own destruction. The question confronting us is whether Taiwan is facing a similar destiny.
The rise and fall of civilizations is nothing new in human history. Clearly the reasons for this are many and more complicated than the process of winemaking. Recent scholarship has suggested that environmental deterioration is quite possibly the main cause of the decline of some civilizations. The most famous example is the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and the Euphrates in the Middle East, where soil salination is seen as a chief culprit. Because that region's development and prosperity demanded agricultural output on a large scale, irrigation became a necessity in that dry climate. This caused water to evaporate and left salt in the soil. Over a prolonged period of time, the process of irrigation and soil salination deprived the soil of its fertility, making that civilization's demise inevitable.
Even though soil salination is not a serious problem in rainy Taiwan, we do face our own weaknesses. Taiwan's topography is such that with high mountains and fast-moving rivers, most people may think of soil erosion and landslides are "normal" natural phenomena. However, as our researches in the Lanyang River (
An even more troubling fact is that past records tell us the soil erosion level has not always been this high in Taiwan. Fifty years ago the erosion rate was only one-fifth of the one in recent years. The erosion rate peaked twice: the first time was between 1960 and 1964, coinciding with the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway; and it happened again between 1980 and 1982, following the passage of legislation which legalized development on mountain slopes. Today, Taiwan tops the world in soil erosion rate.
Man's survival depends on a land that can nurture and support us. Soil erosion is hardly the only problem facing Taiwan. If calculated proportionally, we lead the world in terms of the pressure we impose on our land with development, pollution and other types of destructive activities. The situation is worsened by natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, making Taiwan's environment one of the most fragile on Earth. Little surprise then that we face a very strong threat from the environment itself, as it fights back for its own survival.
Fortunately the environment constantly undergoes a process far more complicated than that of winemaking. The Gaia hypothesis, which has gained considerable attention in recent years, aptly describes the way our environment operates. Simply put, it is like a complex organism. Apart from the transformation of matter and energy, the environment also has a built-in feedback system, continuously correcting its own metabolism. Therefore, under natural circumstances, the environment is usually in a mode of dynamic balance.
Riding a bicycle would be an example of dynamic balance. Our central nervous system tells the bicycle rider to adjust his/her movements to ensure a smooth ride. Man's destruction of the environment can be likened to the swaying of a small child on a bicycle: the more violent the movement, the more likely the bicycle's fall. In other words, the more severe the destruction, the closer the danger.
It is imperative that we realize this and mend our ways by becoming one with the environment. In addition to economic development, Taiwan must also equip itself with the ability to foster and maintain a healthy ecosystem. This means that when the environment comes under pressure above an acceptable level, we must immediately take corrective action to ensure that the dynamic balance is not compromised.
For instance, Taiwan's advanced information superhighway (Internet and communication networks) can easily function as our central nervous system. If all citizens can be keen observers of their surroundings, a national network designed to monitor environmental quality can be established with the help of monitoring stations. Such a network would be notified right away in the event of environmental abuse (eg, reckless deforestation), and disseminate orders to remedy problems, provided an intelligent environmental protection center is ready to process the signal and issue the order.
That Taiwan is a small, densely populated island under tremendous environmental stress is a fact we all live with. To avoid a backlash in the 21st century, we need to learn from the wine-making process: how not to be destroyed by what we have created. Blowing trumpets and calling ourselves "the conqueror of nature" will not bring us an environment in harmony with its dynamic balance. If Taiwan is to become a genuinely modernized "technology island," we must emulate the environment's feedback functions and make changes in our way of life. Only then will we be able to sustain Taiwan's prosperity.
Liu Kon-kee is a professor at the Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University. Kao Shuh-ji is a post-doctoral research fellow at the same institute.
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Chinese social media influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣), whose real name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), made statements advocating for “reunifying Taiwan [with China] through military force.” After verifying that Liu did indeed make such statements, the National Immigration Agency revoked her dependency-based residency permit. She must now either leave the country voluntarily or be deported. Operating your own page and becoming an influencer require a certain amount of support and user traffic. You must successfully gain approval for your views and attract an audience. Although Liu must leave the country, I cannot help but wonder how many more “Yayas” are still
Earlier signs suggest that US President Donald Trump’s policy on Taiwan is set to move in a more resolute direction, as his administration begins to take a tougher approach toward America’s main challenger at the global level, China. Despite its deepening economic woes, China continues to flex its muscles, including conducting provocative military drills off Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam recently. A recent Trump-signed memorandum on America’s investment policy was more about the China threat than about anything else. Singling out the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a foreign adversary directing investments in American companies to obtain cutting-edge technologies, it said
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
RSS