Eight environmental protection groups have called for the Taiwan public to protect local dolphins and Taiwan’s coastal ecology by collectively purchasing coastal wetlands where a petrochemical plant is planned to be built.
In March 2009 the Taiwanese government approved the oil refineries project proposed by Kuo Kuang Petrochemical Technology Co., an incorporated joint venture between the state-run Chinese Petroleum Corp. and six Taiwanese companies. The plant will occupy 4,000 hectares (15.4 square miles) of coastal wetlands in Changhua County near the estuary of the Jhuoshuei River.
Activists have urged the public to pool money to purchase the most sensitive 2,000 hectares (7.7 square miles) of land of the planned location for the refineries. According to the campaign’s website, taiwansousa.blogspot.com, by July 7 more than 26,000 people have pledged money in the amount of more than 1.3 million shares, each priced at NT$119 (US$4).
Once the land has been purchased from the government, it will be put under trust and prohibited from being resold for generations to come.
The waters along the Changhua coast are home to a dwindling population of Chinese white humpback (sousa) dolphins. These dolphins are considered a national treasure by the Taiwanese people. Environmentalists say the planned refineries will block the migrating route of many fishes which are the primary food source for the dolphins.
Environmentalists are also concerned that the project’s expected 16 million-ton annual carbon dioxide emission and its high water and energy consumption will further damage the coastal ecology. A spokesperson for the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union said the dolphin might become extinct within 10 years if the refineries are built.
According to environmental groups, there are less than 100 white humpback dolphins in the waters along the Chuanghua coast, compared to an estimation of more than 200 in 2006. The drop in numbers is due to the influence of various industrial and harbor related development projects along the coastline, experts say.
Opponents of the Kuo Kuang oil refineries project criticize the Taiwan government for breaking its promise on curbing carbon emissions for profit. There is also speculation that the speedy approval of the project is in part a result of fear that the China-funded Kuo Kuang refinery plant will be built in China instead.
China has been pushing for integration of the petro industries of Taiwan and China’s southeastern Fujian Province, a gateway towards broader and deeper economic integration. The recently signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between China and Taiwan is seen by some as a milestone for the two parties’ economic integration. Others regard it as a means for China to realize its long coveted political unification.
China’s focus on quick economic growth has cost the country’s environment dearly, particularly its aquatic ecology, which suffers from heavy pollution. An international research team announced in 2006 that the rare Chinese river dolphin had gone extinct after the team failed to spot any dolphins during a six-week search on the mammal’s only habitat, the Yangtze River.
In March 2009 the Taiwanese government approved the oil refineries project proposed by Kuo Kuang Petrochemical Technology Co., an incorporated joint venture between the state-run Chinese Petroleum Corp. and six Taiwanese companies. The plant will occupy 4,000 hectares (15.4 square miles) of coastal wetlands in Changhua County near the estuary of the Jhuoshuei River.
Activists have urged the public to pool money to purchase the most sensitive 2,000 hectares (7.7 square miles) of land of the planned location for the refineries. According to the campaign’s website, taiwansousa.blogspot.com, by July 7 more than 26,000 people have pledged money in the amount of more than 1.3 million shares, each priced at NT$119 (US$4).
Once the land has been purchased from the government, it will be put under trust and prohibited from being resold for generations to come.
The waters along the Changhua coast are home to a dwindling population of Chinese white humpback (sousa) dolphins. These dolphins are considered a national treasure by the Taiwanese people. Environmentalists say the planned refineries will block the migrating route of many fishes which are the primary food source for the dolphins.
Environmentalists are also concerned that the project’s expected 16 million-ton annual carbon dioxide emission and its high water and energy consumption will further damage the coastal ecology. A spokesperson for the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union said the dolphin might become extinct within 10 years if the refineries are built.
According to environmental groups, there are less than 100 white humpback dolphins in the waters along the Chuanghua coast, compared to an estimation of more than 200 in 2006. The drop in numbers is due to the influence of various industrial and harbor related development projects along the coastline, experts say.
Opponents of the Kuo Kuang oil refineries project criticize the Taiwan government for breaking its promise on curbing carbon emissions for profit. There is also speculation that the speedy approval of the project is in part a result of fear that the China-funded Kuo Kuang refinery plant will be built in China instead.
China has been pushing for integration of the petro industries of Taiwan and China’s southeastern Fujian Province, a gateway towards broader and deeper economic integration. The recently signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between China and Taiwan is seen by some as a milestone for the two parties’ economic integration. Others regard it as a means for China to realize its long coveted political unification.
China’s focus on quick economic growth has cost the country’s environment dearly, particularly its aquatic ecology, which suffers from heavy pollution. An international research team announced in 2006 that the rare Chinese river dolphin had gone extinct after the team failed to spot any dolphins during a six-week search on the mammal’s only habitat, the Yangtze River.
