Citizen of The Earth Taiwan (CET)

Richie Leu

Campaign against high-tech pollution and expansion in

Taiwan

The outline of presentation

The present situation of high-tech

industry The past experience of campaigns The observations about campaigns Prospects

Conflict ! ! ! An important agricultural zone in Taiwan

Semiconductor & optoelectronic industry account for 90% of total sales of the Science Parks in 20078.5 in 10 employees working for the biggest two

(Chiu, 2011:23)

I 、 Emergence of public awareness of high-tech pollution (1997~2006)

The beginning from HSP(Hsinchu Science Park)

Fast expansion of the industry→ outbreak of fire incidents and the waste water pollution → residents complain

Problems revealed by local journalists

High-tech is clean?

（中國時報記者陳權欣提供）

Suspicious of cancer cluster in Tai-Chi village

No tap water available, residents rely on groundwater

skin itch after using groundwater to take shower

Crops grow tall without ear Smelly Cancer cluster found in 2000

http://www.peopo.org/portal.php?op=viewPost&articleId=6586

Groundwater pollutiontrichloroethylene （ TCE 三氯乙烯） found in the monitoring well No.19 in the HSP

邱花妹 攝

HSP and environmental impacts

Arsenic（砷） air pollution associated with CTSP I ＆ II （ Central Taiwan Science

Park）

2006 As (37.4 ng/m3) found in the area of Dong-Hai University( 東海大學 )

arsenic levels: over 12 times higher than before operations of CTSP Phase I & II began

張鎮南、程萬里等， 2007.1.8

http://e-info.org.tw/node/19619

2006.4.7 ，中國時報。

Farms salinated by wastewater from the CTSP I&II

electrical conductivity in the waste water four times higher than the maximum allowed by the regulation

a thousand hectares of farmland affected

II 、 Toward environmental and social justice movement(2006~2010)

攝影：陳寧 http://www.coolloud.org.tw/node/55830

Campaign against the expansion of the Phase III of the CTSP (2005)

2006.6.30 ，環保署 李根政攝

Farmers protested in front of the EPA

Siaoli river pollution (2008) Clear Link between IT production wastewater and

ecological catastrophe

AUO

Siaoli River

Fongshan River

CPT

Water taken by water company for Hsinpu township

The two manufactures have discharged around 40,000 tons of wastewater every day directly into the Siaoli River since 1999.

AU Optronics (AUO)

Chuanghwa Picture Tubes

Map of Siaoli RiverMap of Siaoli River

Story and Controversies

The two companies insisted wastewater they discharged into the river was not toxic their wastewater conformed completely to environmental

standardsEnvironmental Bureau of Taoyuan County supported companies’ claims:

“Conforming to the environmental regulatory requirements does not mean fish and frogs in the river, as people define for good water quality”

In 2008, Taiwan EPA issued an official notice, which advise local people not to directly use the water in Siaoli River

BUT...

The protest of expansion of the Phase IV of the CTSP (2009)

CTSP-IV Wastewater discharge channels

CTSP-IV site

Juoshuei River

Old Juoshuei River

Farmers expelled from their land

陳錦桐 http://e-info.org.tw/node/57738

記者宋碧龍╱攝影

Key Word!

2010.10.15 中科三期環評 農民再提公民訴訟

2010/10/17 苦勞報導 http://www.coolloud.org.tw/node/55088

The winning of environmental law suit against the CTSP-III (2010)

The EPA never gives up... distorting the EIA and the law.

While no EIA conclusions can be abided by, companies do not have to stop construction or operation?Government: what counts most is to keep government policies consistent and coherent and to prevent investors from suffering unnecessary losses.

The achievement of campaigns

• In policy

– Stop the expansion of science park temporarily

– Creative more strict conditions in EIA conclusion

• In legislation

– Forced the EPA to draft and announce the "Optoelectronics and semiconductor Industry Discharge Water Standards" in December of 2010

• In judiciary

– In the lawsuit of CTSP III ,the first time in Taiwan's judicial history where a court invalidated an EPA determination due to the deficient process

Conclusions

• Problems of science parks transform from pure environmental pollution to arguments over the rights of water and land

• Most of the time, the disadvantaged are the victims. Thus, land justice becomes the core of resistance

• However, for the critical part of the issue – toxics, our standing is still limited

The Analysis of Chemical Use in TFT-LCD manufacturing process. (liter/month)

Source: Taiwan EPA, Probe Project on Analysis and regulating Standards on the Quality of Wastewater of High-tech Industry. Taipei, Taiwan, EPA.

-N%: the rate for self-recycling.

most information regarding pollutant emission remains unavailablethe current knowledge on the impacts of its pollution remains insufficient

Prospects

• Source management of chemical substances– Apply complete risk assessment prior to getting on

markets, otherwise look for alternatives

– Amend the Toxic Chemical Substance Control Act by incorporating REACH

• Compulsory disclosure for chemical information– Trade secrets must be clearly defined

– Information should be disclosed unconditionally while vital damages occur

• Strict control over the effluence– Through local research

~ Thank everybody ~