March in Taiwan with 1206 Global Climate Campaign

2008 / 12 / 01

Taiwan: Get up!

Time: 6 December 2008 1300
Liberty Square marchers assemble
Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall bicycles assemble 
Time: 6 December 2008 1500-1700
Music performances at the Da An Forest Park

Taiwan’s per capita green house emissions are three times the world average, have grown faster than any other developed country and are growing at twice the rate of the world’s average. As an island nation the threats are even greater: landslides and flooding, dengue fever and other disease, and rising costs of daily necessities are but a few of the consequences of our failure to face the fact of climate change. The government needs to take an active role and come up with specific policies and action plans. 

Our five basic demands are：

1.Impose Carbon Taxes Immediately; Cut Income Taxes

Seventy percent of Taiwan’s income tax are paid by salary workers while the wealthy do everything they can to avoid paying any tax. Industry is responsible for more than 50% of Taiwan’s carbon emissions. The government should immediately follow through with its commitments and impose carbon taxes on industry and at the same time adjust income tax for working people. Taxes on highly polluting industries should be used to help Taiwan take on the adjustment to our industrial structure.

2.Taiwan Is Not Short of Energy; Nuclear Is Not the Answer to Climate Change

State-owned Taiwan Power Company uses the threat of energy shortages to fool people into supporting additional dirty power plants. In fact, during this past summer more than half the electricity users used less energy than they did last year. Taiwan Power should increase the rates for peak use, stop building highly polluting coal and gas power plants and high electric wave emission towers and transformers. Nuclear power must not be allowed to be used as an alternative energy source, the extraction of fuel, treatment and storage makes nuclear at least as harmful to the atmosphere as other energy sources.

3.Roads for Bicycles; No More New Highways

As more and more people go around the island on bicycles the bicycle riding population is rapidly increasing. Roads for automobiles should be reduced and the area given back to pedestrians and bicycles as a basic measure of social justice. Many roads being planned or built are unnecessary and a comprehensive policy assessment should be carried out. Residents of eastern Taiwan should have save, reliable and efficient rail transport.

4.Eat With Love for the Earth; Localize the Economy

The animal husbandry industry accounts for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions so eating less meat and more vegetables is something that individuals can do to help the climate change campaign. As more people join the movement of eating less meat and more locally the government health authorities should change the eating guide used by the health authorities to facilitate a responsible eating environment, a healthier citizenry, a more peaceful world and a healthier world. 

5.Stop Giving Our National Assets to Corporate Theives

The government on the one hand promotes carbon reduction while at the same time promoting a garage sale of national assets as a way of relieving financial pressures with the result that low income people are deprived of their rights to spend time with our mountains and seas. The entire privatization policy should be reviewed and sunlight, air and water must be left to future generations and not given to corporations that will likely not be around in fifty years when their BOT contracts end.

Taiwan Global Climate Campaign website http://tw-climatecampaign.blogspot.com