19. Taiwan’s Green Parties: Dafydd Fell (SOAS University of London)

Taiwan’s next referendum will soon vote on activating the nation’s fourth nuclear plant, as well as constructing a natural gas plant on an algal reef that's critical for Taiwan’s biodiversity. These decisions come as governments around the world are scrambling to meet the demands of the Paris Agreement, and as environmental activists fight for a more sustainable planet. 

Green Parties propose an alternative voice in politics to tackle our environmental ruin. All over the world, there are 91 Green Parties that believe in committing our governments to environmental stewardship, through electing green movement leaders into office. In Asia, Taiwan is home to the region’s oldest Green Party, which won a National Assembly seat in 1996 - their very first election campaign. 

Our guest today is Professor Dafydd Fell, a political scientist at SOAS University of London, and Director of the Centre of Taiwan Studies. Dafydd Fell is author of the new book: “Taiwan’s Green Parties: Alternative Politics in Taiwan”, published in March 2021 by Routledge.

Today’s episode is hosted by Nate Maynard - Senior Consultant at Reset Carbon, and host of Waste Not Why Not. You can check out his show for more insights on the world’s ocean, energy, and waste issues. 

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EPISODE CREDIT | Executive Producer, Emily Y. Wu @emilyywu | Producer, Yu-Chen Lai @aguavaemoji | Host, Nate Maynard @N8MAY | Assistance from Elise Chan. 

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