Environment groups call for more citizen involvement in green initiatives

Taichung, Dec. 15 (CNA) Several environmental groups convened in Taichung on Sunday to call for greater citizen involvement in green initiatives.

Air Clean Taiwan (ACT) and the Changhua Medical Alliance for Public Affairs spearheaded the gathering of civil society groups in front of Taichung City Hall.

At the event, a researcher of ACT cited the passing of environmental impact evaluations of two planned nongreen energy facilities in the last 40 days as an example of the need for more citizen involvement.

The researcher said that the two projects -- the conversion of a Taipower coal power station into a gas-fired plant and state-owned oil supplier CPC Corp's plans for a liquid natural gas receiving terminal project in Kaohsiung -- should not have passed their environmental impact evaluations.

The researcher added that the cost of the government's decision to greenlight the plans will be reflected in the lives of residents in the central and southern parts of Taiwan.

Yueh Hsiang-wen (岳祥文), the executive director of Clean Air Taichung Alliance, said Taiwan's increasing dependency on fossil fuels was the opposite of the global net-zero consensus to reduce carbon emissions.

Yueh added that the government's push to make Taiwan dependent on natural gas would harm future generations.

Aside from Yueh, the heads of green groups from Kaohsiung and Pingtung County also criticized the government's recent actions.

A Kaohsiung group that advocates for clean air revealed that the plan to erect a fossil gas station in the southern port city was fast-tracked to environmental impact evaluation after undergoing just one discussion meeting, alluding to a lack of transparency and democratic input.

Meanwhile, the leader of a Pingtung-based environmental group attacked the government's rhetoric which suggested an increase in Taiwan's fossil fuel firing emmissions by 2030, stating that such policies are akin to Taiwan turning its back on global carbon-neutral movements.

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