by Jeffrey Hou
Spoonbill Action Voluntary Echo
Taipei -- On April 26, fishers from the coastal villages in Chiku joined members of SAVE International and other eco-activists in front of Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), chanting "Stop the Binnan review!"
The protests succeeded in stalling an environmental impact assessment that would have allowed construction of the Binnan Industrial Complex (BIC), a massive petrochemical and steel facility that would threaten Taiwan's fragile coastal ecology.
For the past five years, Taiwan's environmentalists have been fighting the BIC, a project that threatens fisheries and sensitive coastal ecosystems, including of Tainan County's Chiku Lagoon, winter roosting habitat of the endangered black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor). Taiwan's wetlands and forests shelter four percent of Earth's plant and animal species. Activists want to site protected as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
The Binnan complex would worsen the region's water shortage while releasing vast amounts of climate-warming CO2 gasses -- equal to 25-30 percent of Taiwan's total CO2 emissions in 1990. Despite these impacts, the project was granted conditional approval on December 17, 1999.
With the victory of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the March presidential election, there is new hope that Taiwan may see a reversal of the previous Kuomingtan (KMT) government's support for environmentally destructive projects.
Two other controversial projects will face review by Taiwan's new president, Chen Shui-bian. The proposed 147-meter tall Meinung Dam is fiercely opposed by the local ethnic Hakka community and the $5.3 billion Nuclear Power Plant No. 4 faces strong opposition owing to the poor performance of existing plants and the unsolved problem of nuclear waste disposal.
The DPP's victory may signal a major change in the policies of a country that has traditionally favored economic development over environmental protection. The rush to approve the BIC only weeks after the DPP's victory was seen as a desperate attempt by the outgoing administration and developers to fast-track the project before the DPP assumed office.
Campaign Promises
Many enviros believe the DPP is the party most capable of cleaning up Taiwan's environment. During his campaign, Chen Shui-bian wooed the environmental community by openly opposing the Meinung Dam and Nuclear Power Plant No. 4. While stopping short of opposing the Binnan complex, Chen opposed the expansion of the highly polluting petrochemical industries.
Another sign of the DPP's new course was President Chen's choice of Lin Chun-Yi, "the father of the Taiwan environmental movement," as Taiwan's new EPA chief. Lin, a respected scholar and the former head of Greenpeace Taiwan, is expected to impose strict environmental standards on many controversial projects now under review. Chen's new vice-president is Annette Lu, a respected feminist activist.
However, some post-election comments from Chen's staff have left environmentalists worried. Chiou Yi-jen, Chen's campaign manager, has expressed concern that killing Nuclear Power Plant No. 4 "would spark protests and disputes from foreign firms contracted to supply facilities." The termination of General Electric's contract alone would cost Taiwan billions of dollars in compensation. In addition, rejection of major investments could stigmatize the DPP as "anti-business." Such concerns might force the new administration to backtrack from its progressive agenda.
Many believe that the political and business corruption characterizing the KMT will change under the new administration. Despite many unresolved issues, the Binnan EIA was granted a conditional approval last December -- a move that environmentalists saw as a deal between KMT and local factions in exchange for political support in the presidential election.
When President Chen was the mayor of Taipei City, he held a referendum on Nuclear Power Plant No. 4 and found that a majority of the city's residents opposed the project. The nuclear waste generated from existing powerplants is currently stored on Pongso-No-Tawo Island, home to about 3,000 indigenous Tawo people. Taiwan Power Company recently revoked its promise to remove the facility from the island by 2002.
Need to Move Fast
"Chen Shui-bian's election is an opportunity for the environmental movement," says Linda Arrigo, international affair officer of Green Party Taiwan, "But we need to move fast. Even when a reformer gets control, powerful interest groups can twist his arm and the opportunity for change is soon lost."
On Earth Day, 25 Taiwanese environmental organizations announced their wish-list for environmental reform under the DPP. The list includes rejection of the BIC, the Meinung Dam and Nuclear Power Plant No. 4. To embolden the new administration, environmental groups held a large anti-nuke demonstration in Taipei, one week before President Chen was sworn in.
SAVE International has led the global campaign to save the endangered black-faced spoonbill by opposing the BIC. SAVE has been working with locals to generate an alternative economic plan to expand the tourism and food-products industries to support the existing fishing communities. This alternative has already stimulated ecotourism on the coast. During 1999, nearly 100,000 people visited the area to see the black-faced spoonbill -- a clear indication that a green economy is a viable alternative to the Binnan complex.
After decades of struggle, the political "greening" of Taiwan may finally become a reality. The DPP, whose emblematic color is green, has promised a profound reform, but the true greening of Taiwan depends on the DPP's performance now that it is in power. Decisions on the three controversial projects will be the first test of the new government's will to usher in a green era in Taiwan.
Jeffrey Hou is campaign coordinator for Taiwan Environmental Action Network and a founder of SAVE International.
Will Taiwan Turn Green?