tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post3161703628882559752..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Oh look... after decades of killing Taiwanese, suddenly the air pollution is a political issueMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-65539187830767677142017-12-05T00:32:48.740+08:002017-12-05T00:32:48.740+08:00God Lai's proposal: http://www.taipeitimes.com...God Lai's proposal: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/11/30/2003683186<br /><br />And let's not forget pollution's rainbow lining: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3310942<br />Phil's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14835540827385109354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-3073973511357331312017-12-04T21:01:04.629+08:002017-12-04T21:01:04.629+08:00Good acerbic stuff, Turton, and dead on, but as yo...Good acerbic stuff, Turton, and dead on, but as you say 1/3 of the smog is from vehicles, so Taiwanese--or at least those who live in cities with good public transport--also have themselves to blame. You know this, I know this, but it NEVER COMES UP IN THE MEDIA. I've lived in various places in Taipei and New Taipei for 15 years, never owned a scooter, and never had any problem whatsoever getting around. At this very moment outside my (shut) door the PM 2.5 is around 60 and you can literally taste it, but the alleys are still full of jerk-offs on scooters riding to the corner FamilyMart for smokes. Tomorrow morning I'll once again witness droves of parents whisking their fat, stupefied children to schools that are easily in walking or biking distance. Then rush hour will start, and about then it will also be marketing time for all the old people on their ancient 2-stroke bikes. So in addition to making walking on the street a stressful hell (literally _on_ the street--no sidewalks, of course! Who needs those?), these selfish fools are giving people CANCER. Hello, tragedy of the commons, anyone? And no one fricking cares! Try to bring this up with your students some time. The young don't worry about it because they think they're indestructible, and the old don't worry about it because that's how it's always been. Why so negative, Mr. Foreigner? In my daydreams I envision requiring each scooter idiot to connect a hose from tailpipe to helmet, so that the "external costs" get internalized and I don't have to worry about premature death.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com