Except pretty much every photo from the japanese era looks much more orderly than today.
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Taiwan’s pollution problem steams from a lack of self confidence, jealously and insecurity wrapped up in a bad relationship.
It was very bad today I was driving in the city and adding to that unfortunately. Really made me think for a while there.
100-140 range. Not good.
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It seems most of you are overlooking the fact that Taiwan has one of the largest off shore wind projects in the world being built and even more planned. I just wish the decision will be to keep the nuclear power and cut back on coal instead.
Overall the change in Taiwan in 20 years is huge. Not disagreeing that more cannot be done but the direction is good.
Besides at least the schools my kids go to are actively teaching about environment, recycling and so on. When the current older population went to school Taiwan was on about the same level as Myanmar is today in terms of wealth. Change takes time.
Nope. Taiwan has been fairly rich since the late 80s.
This takes time argument is largely bullshit. For instance there’s no good reason that motor vehicles are still so common here compared to electric .
We don’t need to wait these are some corporations running roughshod over people and dumb politicians and civil servants in Taipei who don’t care because usually the pollution doesn’t affect them so badly.
Look at who is driving all the new cars it’s actually all age groups
Also the wind farms are good but they are far from enough.
It’s not all positive news I follow the industrial power and water demand and it’s actually increasing annually particularly due to the semicon industry. So we can’t assume things will get better automatically. When I came to Taiwan 20 years ago I assumed that and I was wrong !
The changes in Taiwan are NOT huge I lived through it,
water and air quality still very bad in many parts , motor scooters and cars still jamming the roads what changes are you talking about exactly ?
I’ve personally observed major expansion of the central science parks in Taichung and Miaoli into areas that were formerly agricultural land. At least three locations that I am familiar with in the last 20 years . They suck up the water resources and obviously affect the local air quality and natural environment
I am not convinced one way or the other way right now about Taiwan’s environment 20 years later. Probably electric vehicles will take over but I am less optimistic about industrial energy and water demand.
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You are so right sir. I am wrong. When I walked out 20 years ago from my door to the street in the Xitun district here in Taichung was exactly like it is today. It’s just my memory playing games.
And the statistics showing GDP per capita 1980 where Surinam, Iraq, Ghana and 57 others ahead of Taiwan is just my imagination. Sorry for that. I agree, no progress has been made at all…
I mean in terms of air and water and soil pollution , can you honestly say a lot has been done ?
Why are you talking about GDP?
And you know that they still have open sewers running through the center of Taichung?
I know, I lived there for years.
When the last time you went for a bike ride alongside the riverside in Taichung ?
Did you know there’s a major river there ? (Not many locals even know that ).
Ah that’s right they never even made a Riverside walking lane there but strewn Taipower towers and cables all the way up and down to the power plant .
Indeed, by this rate we will be breathing clean air in 100 years! bravo!
I biked so far 1700km this year. Do you know why street after street is open in the middle over long s? Its because Taichung is working very hard on fixing the sewage issue. Do you know why whole neighborhoods were taken down (force bought by the government), its largely because of the sewage issue (and for construction companies to make more money but lets not go there).
Btw many of the Canals in Taichung downtown are very nice now, and more are being fixed all the time. Some pictures here https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=19&post=142416
As for things being done, do you have any idea for example how difficult its to start a painting factory in Taiwan now? or Fabric dyeing? why is that? because regulation. But again you say nothing is being done when in reality a lot has changed. Not claiming its perfect, for example water usage is very wasteful and outside major cities smaller factories still get away with things they shouldn’t. Agriculture I don’t know much about and it does look like it has not changed much.
Anyways, enough for me. Not into online debates. If you do come to Taichung bring your bike, we can go for a ride.
That’s good and very recent. Also the sewerage work is
long overdue across the city. Nice new park where the airport was.
The city environment has definitely improved but some areas outside the city have actually gotten worse such as Fengyuan and Houli and Tongluo in Miaoli .
I’m also familiar with factories in Changhua , parts of which would have the population evacuated elsewhere they are so polluted. Taichung is like a national park compared to Changhua!
I think the dense population plays significant role. Countries like Australia or US with big lands cannot be of use as a reference in many aspects.
That it plays a role historically is undeniable. Is it an excuse to have filthy smell urban waterways everywhere, even in mega rich Taipei ?
Is it an excuse to have 52,000 illegal factories. 
No.
What it actually demonstrates is a very incompetent central government .
Maybe…Maybe some are getting their act together now . Slowly.
I know the food safety assessors academic research group in Taiwan . I was at a meeting with them and I mentioned the illegal factory problem and it was clear that they had never really thought deeply about the problem. They were looking at it from the endpoint as to how and what to test for and not the root cause . It was clear they were slightly embarrassed by my statement and felt ill at ease.
I guess it’s easy to be cynical when you see a lot of environmental destruction even in 2000s!
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Good point.
Couple thousand years of testing culture might play a part.
And just a reminder that pollution is a long-term, worldwide thing.
(The second embedded link was changed to one more likely to be viewable (Google Books sometimes limits viewings.))
Our global impact now must be 100x what it was in the past though.
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