Taiwan Church News

3830 Edition

July 21 ~ 27, 2025

Weekly Topical

Focusing on Transitional Justice of Green Energy, TSCM Launches a Field Study Travel in Summer

Reported by Sunny Hung

From July 15 to 19, PCT Campus Ministry Committee and Taiwan Student Christian Movement (TSCM) jointly held a field study travel, focusing on Taiwan’s transitional justice in wind power, photovoltaic industry and other industries.

Rev Kao Bor-en, convener of the field study travel and a co-worker of PCT’s Tainan College Student Center, said “through the travel of field study, TSCM wishes the youth to care our Formosa country and the world from a perspective of Christian faith.”

With an itinerary to photovoltaic industries and private power-plants, Rev Tsai Heng-wei, a co-worker at PCT’s Taichung College Student Center, indicated that this summer travel held thematic seminars and site-visits to share with farmers, fishermen and small business entrepreneurs.

The summer travel was participated by many green energy professionals, including Mr Chung Han-shu, director of Taichung Office of Environmental Rights Foundation; Mr Hsu Cheng-tang, campaigner of community renewable energy; Mr Wu Chia-chen, manager of Hatta Organic Farm in Yunlin County; Mr Chen Kun-hong, chairman of Green Harvest and Sinogreenergy Group; Mr Lee Fu-cheng, owner of Good Shrimp Company; Mr Lee Yi-chian, founder of Tri-Small Markets; Ms Chen Yu-ping, general secretary of Taiwan Environment & Planning Association.

In a thematic seminar at Bei-Kang Church of the Jiayi presbytery on July 19, Ms Chen Yu-ping reminded the audience: “to raise environmental awareness in Germany, it takes 60 years to promote the necessary reform of petrol-dominated policy and practice!”

“During the period of Germany’s transition of energy policy, the environmental protection groups persuaded German government to recognize the risk cost of energy development consists not only of capital and profit, but also external factors, like natural environment, civic protests, social unrest and etc,” she stressed. “From the perspective of Christian faith, the importance of environmental planning, relationships between people, and relationship between people and the land, are all indispensable asset and cannot be ignored.”

“The transitive reform to green energy is a long journey, and Taiwan is just in its very first decade,” she expressed. “The mission of energy reform is not an issue simply about technology, but a systematic task to change the space and landscape where people live, work and daily lives. Even more, the pivotal things never stop at change or conserve, but how people will participate in a continuous reform.”

“When young people realize the quintessential meaning of their home land to their careers and future, they are able to return back and roll their sleeves at home town,” said Ms Lee Yi-Chian, “Instead of playing as church goers only, Christian youth shall become participants in public affairs!”

Through this summer travel, observed Ms Lee, many youth learned how to tell the struggle and hope between people and the environment.Although theological studies and passionate praise do help people to learn more about the holy, but only by doing the teachings of Jesus can people truly live in Christ, she remarked.

Introducing members of the field study to appreciate things from many photographic terms, like landscape, backdrops, gaze and etc., Mr Chu Zhen-tang, a veteran photographer, led the participants to reflect the relationship between people and environment. He frankly indicated the difficulties and challenges of current energy policy and green electricity in Taiwan.

Mr Wu Chia-chen and Mr Lee Fu-cheng both explicated the impacts of photovoltaic industry to local farming and fishery industry. On the other hand, Mr Chen Kun-hong delivered some challenging views, so that some positive benefits brought by photovoltaic industry to rural areas could be considered as well. Thus, the complicated issues of transitional justice amid green energy reform in Taiwan were therefore highlighted through different perspectives in this summer field study travel.

Translated by Peter Wolfe