Environmental groups yesterday said that a Chinese National Federation of Industries white paper was inattentive to environmental justice.
In comments while presenting the paper, federation chairman William Wong (王文淵) said Taiwan is “too dirty to develop tourism,” so the economy has to rely on manufacturing industries.
The 164-page document outlines 231 suggestions for the government in nine domains: industrial development; energy; environment; finance and tax; labor; global commerce; cross-strait policy; intellectual property; and the cultivation of young talent.
Photo: Su Fang-ho, Taipei Times
Domestic populists often blame coal-fired power plants and chemical firms for the nation’s pollution of PM2.5 — inhalable particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller — but the two sectors make up less than 5 percent of the nation’s total PM2.5 emissions, Wong, who is also Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) chairman — wrote in the preface.
The nation should not replace nuclear energy with green energy and coal-fired power with gas-fired power to achieve its policy of a nuclear-power-free homeland by 2025, which would lead to unstable power supply and put the economy at risk, Wong wrote.
Wong’s comments have sparked criticism from environmentalists.
Taiwan Environmental Protection Union chairman Liu Jyh-jian (劉志堅) said the federation’s members often complain about shortages of water, electricity, land, workers or talent — what they call the “five shortages” — but they never mention how their firms would cut carbon emissions or save energy.
According to Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) data, FPG’s Formosa Petrochemical Corp was the nation’s No. 1 greenhouse-gas emitter from 2013 to 2016, while two subsidiaries — Formosa Plastics Corp and Nan Ya Plastics Corp — were No. 5 and No. 8 respectively, Liu said.
“Who is making the nation dirtier if not Wong’s group?” Liu asked.
At an EPA meeting on Wednesday, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co — ranked No. 7 on the list — reportedly promised that 20 percent of the energy consumed at its 3 nanometer fab in Tainan would be generated from renewable sources, which, although not satisfying, shows the company’s concern for the environment, Mom Loves Taiwan chairwoman Gloria Hsu (徐光蓉) said, urging other industries to follow suit.
Other industries that care about revenue and the environment have said they do not want to be represented by the federation, Green Citizens’ Action Alliance deputy secretary-general Hung Shen-han (洪申翰) said, calling on such industries to voice their opinion.
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