Pegatron Group chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) has strongly advocated for the continued use of nuclear power in Taiwan to supplement the transition to renewable energy sources, portraying himself as a missionary spreading the good news.
In a June 20 report on energy allocation and development, Tung laid out his concerns regarding global warming, a low-cost stable power supply, the effectiveness of Taiwan’s carbon reduction efforts and the possible environmental impact of developing renewable energy sources.
Unfortunately, his use of false data, which has already been fact-checked, makes him more like a rumormonger spreading fake news. It is clear that the misinformation comes from pro-nuclear advocates who are out of touch with reality.
Tung has even publicly compared nuclear waste to a wild beast in a cage, seemingly dangerous, but actually of no jeopardy to the public. This received praise from nuclear supporters and fueled rumors that the government is reluctant to deal with nuclear waste. Once dealt with, there would be no reason to stop using nuclear power, they say.
The problem is that proponents of nuclear power misunderstand the nature of waste disposal. They discuss the issue from technological, economic or environmental perspectives, but fail to realize that nuclear energy is a social issue in Taiwan. Most baffling is that they continue to spread false information that using nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions is the only cure-all for climate change and energy problems.
We should be asking the important questions: Can Taiwan’s nuclear power plants withstand frequent earthquakes? Can the possibility of a nuclear disaster be ruled out? How should nuclear waste, which remains toxic for thousands of years, be dealt with? However, nuclear supporters conveniently turn a deaf ear to these concerns, dismissing them with a smile.
Tung does not like political manipulation, but he seems to have been accepted by pro-nuclear advocates as a “nuclear-loving” pioneer and forgotten that he is heading Taiwan’s carbon reduction initiative. Tung and others see nuclear power as superior to renewable energy sources, implying that the latter have many environmental and ecological problems of their own. Are there no other solutions?
Taiwan has already implemented plans and achieved concrete results in creating a circular economy, as well as in areas such as land planning, sustainable agriculture, environmental protection and tourism.
The nation should work together to find even more comprehensive and feasible approaches.
It must be acknowledged that, like nuclear power plants, the construction and operation of renewable energy plants produce pollutants and waste that are not completely harmless, but after weighing every issue, including Taiwan’s small, densely populated area, frequent earthquakes and societal risk tolerance, it is clear that the positive impacts of renewable energy are far greater than those of nuclear power.
We must keep a practical mindset in facing the challenge of ensuring a stable electricity supply and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Using nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions is not a magic solution.
To ensure Taiwan’s sustainable future and fulfill carbon reduction goals to combat global warming, renewable energy development and energy conservation is the way to go.
Lin Ren-bin is an academic committee member of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union.
Translated by Nicole Wong
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry gives it a strategic advantage, but that advantage would be threatened as the US seeks to end Taiwan’s monopoly in the industry and as China grows more assertive, analysts said at a security dialogue last week. While the semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” its dominance has been seen by some in the US as “a monopoly,” South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University academic Kwon Seok-joon said at an event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In addition, Taiwan lacks sufficient energy sources and is vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical threats from China, he said.
After reading the article by Hideki Nagayama [English version on same page] published in the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday, I decided to write this article in hopes of ever so slightly easing my depression. In August, I visited the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, to attend a seminar. While there, I had the chance to look at the museum’s collections. I felt extreme annoyance at seeing that the museum had classified Taiwanese indigenous peoples as part of China’s ethnic minorities. I kept thinking about how I could make this known, but after returning
What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established. The KMT would likely not object to this notion. However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking
Taipei’s population is estimated to drop below 2.5 million by the end of this month — the only city among the nation’s six special municipalities that has more people moving out than moving in this year. A city that is classified as a special municipality can have three deputy mayors if it has a population of more than 2.5 million people, Article 55 of the Local Government Act (地方制度法) states. To counter the capital’s shrinking population, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) held a cross-departmental population policy committee meeting on Wednesday last week to discuss possible solutions. According to Taipei City Government data, Taipei’s