On 9 April, the program’s “Major Public Issues in Taiwan’s Development” lecture welcomed Environmental Protection Administration Minister Chang Tzi-Chin to speak on “Land-Use Planning and Environmental Protection.” Drawing on a career that spans the Provincial Government, Taipei County Government, and the Executive Yuan, Chang began by describing Taiwan’s ecological landscape in the 1970s, arguing that rapid urban sprawl—and the lack of buffers between industrial and residential land—sparked today’s sharp conflicts between factories and nearby communities.

He explained that this shortfall in forward-looking planning led to the creation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, aimed at preventing or mitigating development-related damage. Policy EIAs compel central agencies to weigh environmental factors while drafting proposals. Though the Act cannot erase every clash between growth and conservation, repeated controversies have pushed the EPA to refine its review process, clarify agency responsibilities, reduce paperwork, and raise efficiency.

On climate action, Chang noted that nations now pledge self-determined emission cuts under carbon-pricing regimes. Taiwan has mapped a path to net-zero emissions by 2050 and is drafting sector-wide strategies to reach that target, underscoring its commitment to global decarbonization. The lecture concluded with a lively faculty–student Q&A.

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Original article (in Chinese): NCCU Campus News