President Lai Ching-te indicated an openness to nuclear energy in an unusual set of remarks earlier this month. Lai stated that his administration did not rule out the use of advanced nuclear technology, but that this would only proceed on the basis of social consensus...
As Taiwan’s summers get increasingly hotter, water becomes life in the most literal sense. Under the scorching summer heat, the residents of Tausa/Tawsay (山里部落), a Sediq buluo (部落/village) in Southern Hualien like to cool off at the nearby riverbed of the Fengping River. It’s a stunning scene–as one of Taiwan’s last free-flowing rivers, the Fengping majestically emerges from the towering mountain range, meandering into the valley where it eventually joins the larger Xiuguluan and flows into the Pacific Ocean...
Ten years have passed since the Sunflower Movement. In the past ten years, one notes how historical verdicts on the Sunflower Movement have changed over time...
The Green Citizen Action Alliance held a press conference earlier this month aiming to call attention to “greenwashing” in Taiwan. In particular, the organization evaluated four major environmental awards, including the Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Award , Global View’s ESG Award, Commonwealth Magazine’s ESG Award, and government-run National Sustainable Development Award. These awards were criticized as lacking open, transparent, and comprehensive standards on environmental protection and handing out awards to corporations that were, in fact, polluters...
Civil society groups demonstrated in front of the Legislative Yuan this afternoon, in spite of periodic bouts of rain, as a protest against nuclear energy...
The Environmental Rights Foundation, Green Citizen Action Alliance, and Homemakers United Foundation have called for a carbon fee system to be implemented before the Lai administration takes power. To this effect, the environmental groups held a demonstration in front of the Legislative Yuan earlier this month....
A hike in electricity prices that started on Monday will likely lead to another round of political contestation between the pan-Blue and pan-Green camps. In particular, the pan-Blue camp will probably try to redirect public anger regarding the price hikes to push for nuclear energy, in line with its energy platform...
Anti-nuclear groups demonstrated in front of the Legislative Yuan on March 11th, to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster. The Fukushima disaster involved the catastrophic meltdown of reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on March 11th, 2011, after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan...
A draft proposal by KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi has stoked controversy. Namely, the proposal would provide for the extension of high-speed rail around all of Taiwan, though this is attached to a proposal ostensibly focused primarily on an expressway connecting Hualien and Taitung and the extension of Freeway No. 6 to Hualien. The bill is currently backed by Legislative Yuan Vice President Johnny Chiang of the KMT...
Energy policy remains a highly controversial policy arena in Taiwan after democratization, given its importance for Taiwan’s security, environmental sustainability and economic development. Under the presidency of Tsai Ing-wen, the agenda of “Nuclear-free Homeland 2025” (2025非核家園) proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party in 2016 has been subject to political challenges, which involved the debates about the use of nuclear energy beyond 2025 and the reduced capacity of coal-fired electricity plants for air pollution mitigation. The policy strategy to replace nuclear energy with rapid solar energy development has also faced enormous social challenges as its large-scale installation conflicts with the existing land uses...
