THE proof of the pudding is in the eating, so goes the popular adage, albeit a cliché.
But it seems appropriate for the plan of the Cebu Energy and Development Corp. (CEDC) to plant trees on a 100-hectare area in Toledo City. I don’t know, but is CEDC trying to prove that its coal ash can be used as fertilizer mix, as is done in Taiwan?
But there is a lot more to the coal-ash issue than meets the public eye. I believe that those who are concerned with the coal-ash should really study the problem carefully.
It is not just bout climate change. It is also about the effect of power shortages on our industries and on our lives.
It is not a matter really of baking your cake and eating it too. It is more of a compromise meal rather than a one-way consumption.
CEDC claims it owns three 84-megawatt clean coal power plants in Toledo City. Its operation has been criticized by our environmentalists as contributing to the so-called “greenhouse gas resulting in global warming.”
In Taiwan, the Formosa Industries, which utilizes clean and cool technology, is located right in the heart of Taipeh. Yet the Taiwanese capital still has rice fields and pockets of thickly forested areas.
I cannot speak, though, of the other areas that I have not seen or visited. But if Taipeh is able to sustain its environment, I think Toledo City also can.
Meanwhile CEDC, which is behind the reforestation project, may just be using the activity as a ploy to deflect criticisms on the operation of its power plants.
But still, its effort to offer a counter-balance to its power production activity should deserve a careful look especially against the back drop of possible power shortages in Cebu.
Which is more tacitly disastrous, to have power shortage over the short haul or contribute to climate change in the long haul, a matter that can still be preempted given more time to do the needed tasks?
CEDC is a joint undertaking of three highly respected and responsible business establishments. I am sure they will not dare go into an activity that would compromise the lives of the very people that support their businesses.
The three firms, which use clean coal technology, are behind the Kabilin reforestation program. I would therefore like to see the project succeed. It is something to look forward to, a 100-hectare man-made forest in Cebu.