Commentary

Cross-strait environmental issues following ECFA

• Publication Date：07/23/2010
• Source： China Times

While responses to the signing of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement have been primarily positive, it has been seen only in economic or political terms. Another perspective warranting serious consideration is cooperation on environmental issues.

In the next several decades, Taiwan and the mainland will face serious environmental challenges. Taiwan’s per capita carbon emissions are among the highest in the world, and have long been a target of international environmental groups. In the future when a product’s carbon footprint can be traced, many products made in Taiwan on contract, as well as parts and components, will be up against great pressure to reduce carbon emissions—or they will be boycotted.

While per capita emissions on the mainland are not high, with its huge population and rapidly expanding industry its overall greenhouse emissions are nearly as high as those of the U.S., and there are vociferous calls from around the world for reductions.

To save energy and curtail greenhouse gas emissions a country must make a concerted effort on many fronts. Clean energy sources must be nurtured, vehicle exhausts cut back, mass transportation promoted, and industrial emissions regulated. The concept of overall carbon emissions must be adopted to balance output from different sectors.

The key to a nation’s success in this regard is the attitude of the people. If a popular movement can bring about mass participation in conserving energy and lowering carbon emissions, success is within reach.

The agencies on each side of the strait responsible for environmental protection should participate officially in the ongoing post-ECFA negotiations, to work out a common approach to greenhouse gas reductions. While this issue is related to the green energy industry, collaboration should go beyond business considerations.

Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration should not exclude itself from broadly defined economic issues and play a silent role; on the contrary, it must get actively involved wherever cooperation is possible.

A few months ago Beijing raised the issue of cross-strait cooperation in the Haixi Special Economic Zone, situated in the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi in southern mainland China. For various political and economic reasons Taiwan has not responded, but from an environmental, rather than economic or political point of view, there is much room in which to work together.

For example, each side could dedicate 10 years to transforming an island into a “green scenic spot,” creating an energy-saving, low-carbon, model green tourist destination. It could even be a friendly competition, with international ecology groups invited to score the two sites.

The mainland could set aside Pingtan Island (off the coast of Fujian) for this purpose, while Taiwan developed the Penghu archipelago, first analyzing the advantages and shortcomings of each locale and detailing plans for the production of electricity, transportation, development of tourism, settlement of residents, greening of the landscape, potable water and food safety.

A project like this would focus domestic ecological and energy-saving efforts, and pressure both sides into doing their best in order not to lose the competition. It would also offer the green energy sector a proving ground for integrating its systems, and attract positive international attention to collaborative cross-strait problem solving (rather than conflict).

Finally, such a regional competition would also be a win-win contest between political systems. The mainland, of course, has the efficiency of a totalitarian system, opposed to Taiwan’s less efficient pluralism.

However, since energy saving and carbon emissions reductions depend, as already explained, on cultural factors, the participation of nongovernmental organizations and the attitudes of the everyday citizen, Taiwan should have plenty of confidence that it would not fall behind the mainland in these aspects.

The planning and administrative abilities of the government are another crucial factor, thereby providing the island’s government with the opportunity to tighten up any loose screws.

In short, environmental issues are shared issues, with more similarities than differences between Taipei and Beijing. If competition in this field can open up new prospects, it would be a pragmatic example of building common ground while preserving differences across the Taiwan Strait. Leaders from both sides should seriously consider cooperation on environmental issues. (THN)

(This commentary originally appeared in the China Times July 17.)

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