A proposal by 18 Academia Sinica research fellows opposing a petrochemical complex that Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co (國光石化科技) plans to build on Changhua County coastal wetlands will be submitted to the government, its initiators said yesterday.
The academic institution’s general assembly approved the proposal on July 7.
The institution will initially refer the proposal to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Environmental Protection Administration, said Chou Chang-hung (周昌弘), head of Academia Sinica’s Life Sciences Division, and former National Science Council minister Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) — two of the proposal’s initiators.
The proposal states that to protect public health and the local ecology, as well as to realize the national policy of energy conservation and carbon reduction, the government should suspend plans for further petrochemical plants because they produce huge amounts of carbon dioxide.
Justification
It also presents three points to justify opposition to the plan.
First, conservationists have proposed establishing a public trust fund to buy the coastal wetlands near the mouth of the Jhuoshuei River to foil Kuokuang’s plan to buy the property for construction of the 4,000 hectare petrochemical complex.
Second, scientific investigations have proven that the Sixth Naphtha Cracker Plant in Yunlin County’s Mailiao (麥寮), which has been in operation since 1999, is a health threat to residents in six townships in the southern-central county.
Third, because the petrochemical industry is the prime culprit of global warming, the proposal calls on the government to ban further petrochemical plants so that Taiwan can reach global carbon-reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
Chou said it was his responsibility to oppose the plant because he served as a member of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) committee for the sixth naphtha cracker project about 20 years ago and witnessed its negative impact on local residents and the environment.
Chou said he originally believed that science could resolve all pollution problems, but it was later proven that the plant was the cause of numerous cases of cancer and other illnesses.
“It is a fact beyond argument, and I am sorry I agreed to be part of the project,” Chou said.
Saying that 40 tonnes of water would be used every day if the petrochemical complex is built, Chou asked “if it is a reasonable and sustainable policy” to build petrochemical plants using taxpayers’ money and public land, when doing so adversely impacts agriculture and creates devastating pollution.
As a member of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) under the International Council for Science, Chou will hold a meeting of Taiwan’s SCOPE members later this month to discuss the Kuokuang project and publicize the controversy.
academics
Meanwhile, on the same day, university professors who launched a similar drive against the plant said they had collected about 540 signatures for a petition against it.
The academics said they would hold a press conference in coming days to explain their reasons for opposing the project and to expound on the plant’s possible negative impact.
STEEP DECLINE: Yesterday’s drop was the third-steepest in its history, the steepest being Monday’s drop in the wake of the tariff announcement on Wednesday last week Taiwanese stocks continued their heavy sell-off yesterday, as concerns over US tariffs and unwinding of leveraged bets weighed on the market. The benchmark TAIEX plunged 1,068.19 points, or 5.79 percent, to 17,391.76, notching the biggest drop among Asian peers as it hit a 15-month low. The decline came even after the government on late Tuesday authorized the NT$500 billion (US$15.2 billion) National Stabilization Fund (國安基金) to step in to buoy the market amid investors’ worries over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Yesterday’s decline was the third-steepest in its history, trailing only the declines of 2,065.87 points on Monday and
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
Six years ago, LVMH’s billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault and US President Donald Trump cut the blue ribbon on a factory in rural Texas that would make designer handbags for Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s best-known luxury brands. However, since the high-profile opening, the factory has faced a host of problems limiting production, 11 former Louis Vuitton employees said. The site has consistently ranked among the worst-performing for Louis Vuitton globally, “significantly” underperforming other facilities, said three former Louis Vuitton workers and a senior industry source, who cited internal rankings shared with staff. The plant’s problems — which have not
TARIFF CONCERNS: The chipmaker cited global uncertainty from US tariffs and a weakening economic outlook, but said its Singapore expansion remains on track Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進), a foundry service provider specializing in producing power management and display driver chips, yesterday withdrew its full-year revenue projection of moderate growth for this year, as escalating US tariff tensions raised uncertainty and concern about a potential economic recession. The Hsinchu-based chipmaker in February said revenues this year would grow mildly from last year based on improving supply chain inventory levels and market demand. At the time, it also anticipated gradual quarter revenue growth. However, the US’ sweeping tariff policy has upended the industry’s supply chains and weakened economic prospects for the world economy, it said. “Now
RSS