During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck was unveiled at Greater Kaohsiung’s Glory Pier. This conceptual artwork has brought happiness to Greater Kaohsiung residents and enabled the municipality to be seen in a brand-new light. However, the implications the floating creation has for the relationship between humans and their environment are being ignored.
Hofman’s ducks used to be made from natural rubber, but since 2007, they have all been made from polyvinyl chloride, a plastic more commonly known as PVC. The duck in Greater Kaohsiung — the largest version made in Asia so far — was made from an extra-thick PVC plastic sheet 840m long and weighing more than 1,000kg.
The duck has brought Greater Kaohsiung’s hotels, restaurants and transport industry several hundred million dollars in business and is expected to generate a large amount of merchandise also made from PVC. Even libraries are rumored to be planning promotions to give toy ducks to book borrowers.
Products made from PVC contain large amounts of plasticizers and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. These substances stop the duck sculpture from cracking as it weathers the elements and make it more pliable, but they can also lead to birth defects, lowered intelligence and neurological diseases among people that are exposed to them. The process of manufacturing PVC is also potentially hazardous, with carcinogenic toxins and pollutants often the byproducts.
Three years ago, it was revealed that the groundwater beneath Formosa Plastics’ petrochemical plant in Greater Kaohsiung’s Renwu Township (仁武) had levels of PVC ingredients such as ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride that were more than 302,000 times the legally allowed amount. It was reported that fixing the problem would take at least 20 years and would cost more than NT$700 million (US$23.7 million).
There have also been reports that workers in PVC factories suffer from higher rates of liver and kidney cancer than the general population. PVC is a material that is really bad for the environment, people’s health and future generations.
It is unfortunate that no arrangements were made with Hofman to use more environmentally friendly materials when the city was fighting to host the duck. However, it is not too late to take precautions for the future.
The Greater Kaohsiung Government can encourage the cultural and creative industries to develop products without using PVC, while the public sector can lead the way by doing things like not giving away PVC ducks and providing assistance in the centralized treatment of products made from the plastic to get the public to minimize PVC use and provide a healthier environment for future generations.
Extreme care must be taken to recycle Hofman’s duck properly when the exhibit concludes. It cannot under any circumstances be buried or burned at a low temperature, as this would release toxins such as dioxin into the environment.
What consumers can do to help minimize PVC use is to stop buying products made from the plastic and keep PVC ducks out of their bathtubs. They must ensure that their children do not put PVC products in their mouths.
By being vigilant and self-disciplined, the public is capable of greatly decreasing the amount of the plastic used in the nation, protecting plants and allowing future generations to grow up in a healthy environment.
This is what the giant rubber duck was meant to teach us about love and peace between humans and the environment.
Tsai Hui-hsun is president of Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan.
Translated by Drew Cameron
There is a modern roadway stretching from central Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa, to the partially recognized state’s Egal International Airport. Emblazoned on a gold plaque marking the road’s inauguration in July last year, just below the flags of Somaliland and the Republic of China (ROC), is the road’s official name: “Taiwan Avenue.” The first phase of construction of the upgraded road, with new sidewalks and a modern drainage system to reduce flooding, was 70 percent funded by Taipei, which contributed US$1.85 million. That is a relatively modest sum for the effect on international perception, and
At the end of last year, a diplomatic development with consequences reaching well beyond the regional level emerged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state, paving the way for political, economic and strategic cooperation with the African nation. The diplomatic breakthrough yields, above all, substantial and tangible benefits for the two countries, enhancing Somaliland’s international posture, with a state prepared to champion its bid for broader legitimacy. With Israel’s support, Somaliland might also benefit from the expertise of Israeli companies in fields such as mineral exploration and water management, as underscored by Israeli Minister of
When former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) first took office in 2016, she set ambitious goals for remaking the energy mix in Taiwan. At the core of this effort was a significant expansion of the percentage of renewable energy generated to keep pace with growing domestic and global demands to reduce emissions. This effort met with broad bipartisan support as all three major parties placed expanding renewable energy at the center of their energy platforms. However, over the past several years partisanship has become a major headwind in realizing a set of energy goals that all three parties profess to want. Tsai
Chile has elected a new government that has the opportunity to take a fresh look at some key aspects of foreign economic policy, mainly a greater focus on Asia, including Taiwan. Still, in the great scheme of things, Chile is a small nation in Latin America, compared with giants such as Brazil and Mexico, or other major markets such as Colombia and Argentina. So why should Taiwan pay much attention to the new administration? Because the victory of Chilean president-elect Jose Antonio Kast, a right-of-center politician, can be seen as confirming that the continent is undergoing one of its periodic political shifts,
RSS