Evasion of Duty: Western Taiwan Faces Severe Smog Crisis as Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming Blames Air Pollution on Typhoon Downdraft, Mocked as a "Weather Anchor"

In mid-November 2024, multiple counties in western Taiwan issued red air quality alerts as a thick grey haze blanketed the skies, causing PM2.5 levels to skyrocket and triggering severe health anxieties among local residents. However, facing intense public anger, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming took to social media and legislative sessions to repeatedly attribute the severe smog in central and southern Taiwan to the "typhoon downdraft" caused by Typhoon Usagi, which suppressed air dispersion. He even claimed that "once the typhoon leaves, the air will naturally clear." His attempt to push all blame onto natural weather patterns drew fierce criticism from both the public and opposition lawmakers. Lawmakers mocked Peng for behaving like a "weather anchor rather than an environment minister," pointing out that his passive stance used weather forecasts to cover up administrative inaction and structural failures under the DPP's carbon-heavy energy policies.