The government has helped Taiwan become a more environmentally responsible society in recent years. The impetus for progress, however, has not come from the government itself but instead from a number of civic-minded nongovernmental organizations. How do these groups promote their objectives and what difficulties do they encounter?
Though sixteenth-century Portuguese navigators referred to Taiwan as Ilha Formosa, or “beautiful island,” modern -day visitors could not be blamed for thinking otherwise, as decades of rapid economic development have left their mark on this densely populated country. The environmentalist movement, although late in arriving to these shores, has in recent years begun to raise awareness among the population with the help of a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
“Our ultimate goal is to help improve our environment. We can accomplish this by teaching the public its role in making our resources sustainable, and by compelling the government to adopt responsible legislation,” notes Sam Lin, chief coordinator of the Ecology Conservation Alliance. “The natural resources that we have the privilege of utilizing today shouldn’t be regarded as having been left to us by our ancestors. Instead, we’re borrowing them from our descendants.” The dedication of similarly minded people has helped spawn a number of NGOs in Taiwan, each with a specific agenda regarding the environment. Many of these organizations operate with the benefit of volunteers who offer their time, money, and effort to the cause.
Concern about the environment did not begin in earnest until after Taiwan’s economic engine was up and running. During the 1970s and 1980s, when the government’s main priority was economic development, heavily polluting factories were built with little thought to nearby residents’ health or the environment. The turning point began shortly after the lifting of martial law in July 1987, which allowed citizens to publicly protest against such activities.
Residents living near proposed projects such as chemical factories, naphtha-crackering complexes, and nuclear power plants were among the first to demand that business and government leaders take the environment into consideration in their decisions. This nascent environmental movement has developed from a concentration on protests to one emphasizing public discussion of environmental issues. “The promotion of environmental protection begins from one’s love for his immediate surroundings and then gradually extends to the whole world,” Lin says. “We’ve seen this happen time and again, and it’s something that governments can’t argue with.” In recognizing that the issue was not going to fade, the government established the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in 1987.
Other developments that year included the formation in September of the New Environment Foundation (NEF) by a group of scholars and concerned citizens who wanted to create a better society where humans and other creatures could coexist in dignity, harmony, and safety. Since its establishment, the foundation has organized seminars, forums, public hearings, lectures, study camps, and fact-finding tours to promote environmental and ecological conservation in Taiwan. In addition to creating a database of environment-related information and providing consulting services, the foundation also publishes a monthly magazine that reports on national and international developments in environmental protection.
On the road to educating Taiwan’s citizens about the importance of protecting their surroundings, the green movement has also played a significant role in the country’s democratization process, says Kuo Chen-tai, an NEF board member who is also a professor of civil engineering at National Taiwan University. “Without pressure from the public, politicians wouldn’t have been as aggressive in implementing reforms as they have.” Kuo adds that one of the NEF’s major tasks is to push the government to put environmental conservation ahead of economic development while keeping a close eye on the formulation and implementation of environmental policy.
The foundation also invites legislators to attend lectures on environmental protection. Armed with up-to-date information, lawmakers will be better able to create or revise laws that pertain to the environment, Kuo maintains. The NEF, in cooperation with communities and other civic groups, has lately been promoting resource recycling, energy and water conservation, preservation of green areas within cities, and the reduction of superfluous packaging.
Though the stature and influence of environmentally concerned NGOs have increased in recent years, the most common problems they face are a lack of funds and manpower. Kuo notes that the NEF had in the past relied on private donations and government-commissioned projects where the government granted funds to NGOs to promote specific campaigns such as the mandatory use of authorized garbage bags and the recycling of organic matter into compost. But in the last two years, the government’s budget for environmental protection has been drastically cut. This decline has coincided with a decrease in private-sector donations amid the economic slowdown, and diversion of charitable funds to other areas of interest such as religion and medical care. The NEF now largely depends on donations from its own board members and the services of volunteers.
Many environmental groups face similar financial shortcomings. “Ideally, we hope to raise funds evenly from the foundation’s members, private-sector donations, and government-backed programs,” says Chen Man-li, president of the Home makers’ Union and Foundation (HUAF). “But public donations are normally very limited, as people are more likely to support charitable groups. So we’ve scaled down our expenses as much as possible.”
HUAF was established in 1989 by a group of housewives who felt compelled to do something about the deteriorating environment amid the dramatic social changes that were taking place. “Our foundation’s major tasks are to provide the public with updated information and to cultivate personnel to help spread the promotion of resource management and protection,” Chen explains. “We felt that by combining the strength of women, we could help improve the environment on a daily basis and improve the overall quality of life.”
The first issue tackled was that of municipal garbage disposal. Residents at that time simply piled their garbage into huge heaps at designated locations, then garbage trucks and workers would clear the waste at specified times. “This not only caused sanitation problems but also damaged the image of Taiwan,” Chen notes. After researching methods of reducing the amount of garbage produced, HUAF discovered that 40 percent of trash could be recycled. The promotion of recycling, therefore, became the foundation’s primary objective.
HUAF entered schools and other institutions to encourage them to sort their recyclable waste. After gaining a measure of success in this area, the group lobbied government authorities to begin a large-scale recycling campaign. In response, the Taipei City Government began to include recycling equipment in its garbage collecting teams in 1996.
“Generally, we find and formulate ways to better manage the environment, then we put these plans into practice to ensure that they’re practical,” Chen explains. “Once this is accomplished, we ask the government to take over the responsibilities so we can go from being an implementer to a supervisor of plans. This allows us to shift our attention to other areas of public concern.”
HUAF also promotes its cause through pamphlets, study camps, and frequent visits to schools and other public and private institutions. It also investigates environmental conditions and cooperates with communities and other groups in joint promotional events. HUAF is currently encouraging the use of leftover food items as compost and of biodegradable soaps to stem water pollution, the recycling of paper, and the consumption of green products.
Chen notes that many people are now aware of environmental issues and are willing to support them, which has made the foundation’s job much easier. For example, HUAF’s trial run of a campaign to encourage the composting of leftover organic waste was launched between 1998 and 2000 and targeted thirteen communities, covering 293 households. But due to the positive response, the trial was expanded to include thirty-nine communities, including 640 households.
The campaign’s success eventually prompted the Taipei City Government’s Bureau of Environmental Protection to launch a similar project in mid-2000 that included 5,000 households. And starting this year, the EPA has earmarked NT$300 million (US$8.8 million) to encourage local governments to promote recycling, including leftover organic waste. This marks a turnaround in the relationship between the two sides. “The government wasn’t responsive to our initial requests to discuss the issues,” Chen Man-li notes. “But after all these years of effort, our foundation has built a good reputation and has won public support. We now have HUAF executives in various government advisory committees.”
Li Te-wei, secretary-general of the Life and Environment Protection Society (LEPS), has also noticed a growing public awareness of environmental issues. “This level of awareness has derived mainly from the public’s general dissatisfaction with its living conditions,” he notes. “People are much more likely now to support responsible environmental policies. But while the government has formulated some very good legislation, it often fails to enforce it effectively.”
One example Li cites is the EPA’s Green Mark Logo campaign launched in 1993. To encourage responsible packaging and manufacturing, the administration gave products a Green Mark designation if they complied with a set of environmentally friendly criteria. But because of a lack of effective promotion and attractive incentives, the program was not well received by either the public or manufacturers. Li, who had previously been successful in promoting green products in cooperation with the Family Mart convenience store chain, believes that the campaign could have worked if the government had promoted it better. “NGOs have extensive networks that reach every corner of society,” Li notes. “The government should take advantage of this asset for the good of the country.”Like other similar organizations, LEPS suffers from a shortage of funds and manpower, as well as a lack of government support. “Because green groups are operating with long-term goals that tend to show no immediate results, it’s hard for us to raise enough funds,” Li laments. “Businesses or individuals are more inclined to make their donations to social welfare or other charitable groups where an instant improvement of the situation is discernable.”
Since its establishment in 1993, LEPS has been devoted to educating the public on ecological issues, conservation methods, animal rights, and responsible consumerism through seminars and special events. It also invites other groups to publicize their activities and distribute relevant information. “Environmental education should start at the root,” Li notes. “We want to promote environmental protection as a practical daily lifestyle rather than the theoretical discussions of scholars or experts.” In particular, LEPS has been promoting green consumption. “When we talk about environmental protection, people immediately think of garbage sorting and recycling. But emphasis should be put on the manufacturing process rather than the final stages of use and treatment of refuse.”
Like the NEF’s Kuo Chen-tai and HUAF’s Chen Man-li, Li believes that cooperation between NGOs and the government is crucial in the policymaking process. “This prevents the government from formulating policies that have little bearing on reality since some officials may not have an adequate understanding of the whole picture,” Li contends.
Edward Huang, deputy director-general of the EPA’s Comprehensive Planning Bureau, acknowledges the importance of NGOs in environmental protection and often invites their members to participate in meetings, seminars, and projects. “The government implements policies, but NGOs are at the front lines of the movement, and thus have a better idea of the problems,” he notes. In addition, the administration also participates in international conferences through the cooperation of NGOs in the absence of formal diplomatic relations with host countries.
Taiwan has some forty environmental interest groups, but many operate only on a small scale. To help improve their influence and effectiveness, Sam Lin in 1992 proposed that these groups unite to form the Ecology Conservation Alliance. “The alliance offers mutual help and support, and provides a forum where an exchange of information can take place,” Lin explains. “Hopefully, this united front will strengthen our role in supervising the government’s performance and encouraging it to respond to public needs.” The alliance organizes seminars throughout the country to solicit opinions regarding specific issues and pinpoints topics of broader concern for joint cooperation. An example of its work includes lobbying for improved conservation of Taiwan’s forests through stringent law enforcement and increased government budget for such efforts.
While Taiwan’s environmentally oriented NGOs have been highly visible, the movement still lags far behind such organizations found in the United States or Europe due to the late implementation of democracy and prior preoccupation with economic development. And despite continued improvement in environmental awareness, relatively few members of the general public are willing to get involved. Sam Lin suggests that the government help encourage the establishment of NGOs by offering greater tax incentives, giving credit for volunteer work, and inviting these organizations to participate in the decision-making process.
“We’ve come a long way. But we won’t be satisfied with our accomplishments as there are still many environmental problems awaiting resolution and improvement,” he concludes. “The government alone is not capable of coping with these formidable challenges. We, as civic organizations, are willing to contribute if we are given more opportunity to do so.”