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Taiwan at the Crossroads
  So times are very different and things are very different at the present time.  So we do have to be carefully about what we do without jeopardizing that men are created equal - the most basic fundamental belief we have for the development of human society.

Well, the second trend is the globalization or the regionalization of the entire world. Owing to the highly developed transportation and communication technology, our globe has relatively shrunken, while the influence and mutual dependence of the peoples of various countries on one another is sharply increasing. Especially during the past 15 years, because of the globalization of world economy and information available, it appears that the concept of a global village is slowly taking shape, and we are moving closer and closer to the realization of living in a borderless society. At the same time, one will not fail to notice the fact that the serious problems confronting mankind, the menace brought about by constant increase in population, the aggravation of the difference in wealth between developing and industrial nations, and the damage done to the world's ecosystem and environment are also all serious global problems the people on earth have to face together.

     During the last several years, the depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere caused by the man-made chlorofluorocarbons has caused quite an alarm. The observation of a huge ozone hole in Antarctic stratosphere was not expected two decades ago. The Montreal protocol signed a dozen years ago started to take some effect, although more efforts are needed to restore the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects us from UV radiation. In contrast to the stratospheric ozone, the tropospheric ozone near the surface of the earth is quite harmful both to the human health and the plant life. Recent measurements around the world have already indicated that the tropospheric ozone, which increases in summer time, has already formed a belt in the industrialized Northern Hemisphere. Taiwan is again facing the dilemma, just like many other developing countries, we have not quite caught up with highly developed countries yet, for our per capita income is only one-third of that of the United States. Yet from the point of view of emission of carbon dioxide and from the combustion of fossil fuel, Taiwan is certainly among the overdeveloped countries, just like many other Asian countries. We are not yet overdeveloped in economic sense, yet we are overdeveloped.

     This is quite a dilemma.  We have to make a decision where to go.  Are we to continue to follow the developed countries and try to catch up?  Or should we turn around and find a new way?  No matter whether it was ozone depletion or global warming, they are certainly transnational problems that everybody on earth has to deal with together.

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