Conflicts between economic development and environmental protection are nothing new to the Republic of China. But when E. I. duPont de Nemours and Co. proposed to build a titanium dioxide plant in the Changpin Industrial Park near Lukang in west-central Taiwan recently, it caused a furor among local residents and a commotion in the news media.
The story got started in 1981, when Formosa Plastics Corp., Taiwan's largest private company, began seeking to purchase the technology to build a titanium dioxide plant of its own. Word got out, and duPont rushed in to build one on Taiwan itself.
When duPont announced last August 1st that it had applied to build an NT$6.4 billion (about US$160 million) titanium dioxide plant with an annual production capacity of 60,000 metric tons, and when its application was approved by the ROC Investment Commission 18 days later, the news went by without much fuss.
This March things suddenly heated up. As soon as it was reported that duPont had selected the Changpin Industrial Park as its site, the reaction was intense.
On March 28th the residents of Lukang laid a petition before the Bureau of Environmental Protection and the Industrial Development Bureau with over 100,000 names.
On May 9th the Industrial Development Bureau held a conference in Changhua, near Lukang, so that environmental officials could communicate face-to-face with the local populace. When it turned out that both sides were speaking at cross-purposes, the IDB invited a group including the mayor of Lukang, Changhua County councilmen, and local representatives to visit duPont in the U.S. and see the company's pollution control measures firsthand.
On June 24th, the same day that duPont held a press conference in Taipei, 700 or 800 people marched in Lukang, shouting slogans and wearing shirts printed "I Love Lukang--No Dupont!"
And in early July, a group from Lukang chartered a bus to Taipei and appealed to the Control Yuan and the Council for Economic Planning and Development, once again expressing their discontent.
The duPont story is without a doubt the largest event in the history of Taiwan's environmental movement to date. And it's significance goes beyond even this.
"Even more importantly, from this incident we can see different interest groups expressing their ideas through various channels and fighting for their rights. This communication and give-and-take is precisely one of the bases of a democratic society," one sociologist says. "No matter what the outcome of this particular case, it will mark a big step forward in the development of our society."
So what are they the different groups saying?
The argument of P.N. Costello, vice president and general manager of duPont Far East, Inc., Taipei branch, goes something like this:
We really don't understand why the people of Lukang are so opposed. If it's a question of safety, duPont has the best safety record of any chemical company in the world. Why, right here in Taiwan we've been running an electronics plant and a pesticide plant for 18 years which not only have operated without accidents, but have received several awards from your government.
Some people have mentioned the Bhopal tragedy, but pesticide and titanium oxide are very different things. If you think titanium oxide is poisonous, then you'd better not touch paint, paper, plastic, toothpaste, or cosmetics, because they all contain it.
Some people are concerned about the production process. Well, we'll handle wastes the same way we do in the U.S. The main reason we're investing in Taiwan is because of the demand in the Southeast Asian market. Other factors are the stable government here and the high quality of labor.
Please don't worry that our antipollution measures won't be as good as they are in the U.S. You love your environment; we love our reputation!
People in Lukang are talking like this:
"Why are we opposed?" the leader of the anti-duPong movement, Changhua County Councilman Li Tung-liang, asks. "Just take a look at Changhua and you'll know."
According to their viewpoint, the presence of Taiwan's "number-one polluter," the Formosa Chemicals Fiber Corp., has made Changhua "unlivable." What's more, they say, the duPont plant will bring no significant benefits to the area.
"DuPont says the plant will provide 700 jobs, but Changhua County is home to 500,000 people! DuPont says the plant will bring in NT$2.5 billion a year to the county's economy, but the aquaculture industry along the Changhua coast produces NT$5 billion. If it's hurt by pollution, how will they make up for it?" author Sung Tze-lai argues.
Almost everyone in Lukang admits that industrial development is important, but "Lukang is one of the most important areas of Taiwan's folk culture. If you want to bring in industry, put it in a poor area off in the country somewhere, not in our Lukang," a resident says.
An official of the Industrial Development Bureau has this to say:
The public criticizes us for approving duPont's application too quickly, but have they considered this: duPont's investment will enable us to decrease our imports by NT$2.5 billion a year and increase exports by NT$1.4 billion. Their total investment will reach NT$6.4 billion. That's the largest foreign investment in our history. Also, duPont's equipment, management, safety measures, and antipollution efforts are world-famous and could well serve as a model for local industries.
Taiwan can't do without industry, and industry can't be completely free of pollution. All we can do is keep the pollution to the lowest level we can. Since we can't do without factories, we have to choose what kind of factories we want.
A reporter who covers environmental stories says this:
With Taiwan's environmental movement on the rise, duPont picked a bad time to come here. Further complicating the picture are the upcoming elections at year's end. Lukang is pretty conservative, and probably wouldn't have gotten so worked up if there weren't interest groups at work. First were the aquaculturists. Then there are the legislators who want to show off before the elections. Of course, a lot of people are acting out of a real love for Lukang, too.
In this whole incident, the voice of the people has been fairly well respected. That the government has handled it by communication and not compulsion is a good sign.
But I'd still like to see the "black box" of the policymaking process exposed to a bit more light. It wasn't very bright of the IDB to approve the investment so quickly, without notifying the Environmental Protection Bureau or local authorities first.
Finally, there's the scholar's viewpoint:
DuPont and the Ministry of Economic Affairs have now said that they won't go ahead without support, so no one can say how it will turn out.
In any event, property rights must be assured. If someone's economic activity invades the property rights of others, he violates the principles of a market economy. Based on the experience they had with Formosa Chemicals Fiber in Chang-hua, people in Lukang are naturally leery of accepting any factories at all.
Petitions, protests, and demonstrations are not really good methods, though. The best way is through the legal process-- starting with a conference where all the interest groups can sit down and discuss their views. If there are still conflicts, then take them to the courts.
If the courts can make a judgment based on fair principles, then that sets a precedent for similar cases in the future.
This way really establishes a better communications formula for the environmental movement and interest groups to follow.
Changpin Industrial Zone and Vicinity
[Picture]
[Picture Caption]
The coast along the Changpin Industrial Zone is now used by fishermen, mostly to raise oysters.
The Lukang industrial district, 1,230 hectares in area, makes up about one-third of Changpin Industrial Park. (courtesy of Ret-Ser Engineering Agency)
DuPont's Mississippi plant, a model for the one proposed for Taiwan, is surrounded by a protective forest. (courtesy of ROC Bureau of Environmental Protection)
Lukang petitioners lose no opportunity to state their case.
"Opposition Wall" in front of Lukang's T'ien-hou Temple attracts a number of fellow townsmen.
Lukang gradeschoolers have decorated this wall with antipollution drawings.
Changpin Industrial Zone.
The Lukang industrial district, 1,230 hectares in area, makes up about one-third of Changpin Industrial Park. （courtesy of Ret-Ser Engineering Agency）
DuPont's Mississippi plant, a model for the one proposed for Taiwan, is surrounded by a protective forest. （courtesy of ROC Bureau of Environmental Protection）
Lukang petitioners lose no opportunity to state their case.
"Opposition Wall" in front of Lukang's T'ien-hou Temple attracts a number of fellow townsmen.
Lukang gradeschoolers have decorated this wall with antipollution drawings.
@List.jpg?w=522&h=410&mode=crop&format=webp&quality=80)
@List.jpg?w=522&h=410&mode=crop&format=webp&quality=80)
