追尋「夠用」的環境資料：戰後臺灣地下水治理的技術官僚與分層政治

Searching for‘Sufficient’Environmental Data: Post Taiwan’s Technocratic and the Politics of Stratigraphy of Groundwater Governance

隨著當代環境問題的全球化，對大尺度環境狀況的爭論也成為環境政治的重要問題。本文參與1955-1976年臺灣各區地下水勘測計畫與1986-1992年「改善台灣地區地下水文基本資料收集系統之規劃研究計畫」的水文地質調查計畫為案例，探討兩代水文地質調查技術官僚與專家如何看到不同的地下世界樣貌。援引Levin的資料實作概念與人類學的街頭官僚理論，本文指出技術官僚的資料實作，包括蒐集資料的方法與理論，以及他們在特定歷史情境下如何處理資料的裁量，對支持國家環境治理政策的環境本體論影響頗大。據此，本文提出「把技術官僚的『裁量』帶回來」對環境政治研究的重要性。在對技術官僚如何生產環境的理解上，本文則提出「夠用」的概念，主張藉由聚焦於技術官僚對何謂「夠用」資料的關切，擴大環境本體論文獻的討論議題。

As contemporary environmental issues become increasingly globalized, debates over the environment at large scales have also become important issues in environmental politics. This article examines two case studies: the hydrogeological survey projects that were part of Taiwan’s regional groundwater surveys from 1955 to 1976, and the planning research project aimed at improving the data collection system for groundwater hydrology in Taiwan from 1986 to 1992. Through these case studies, the article explores how two generations of technocrats and experts perceived distinct underground environments. By drawing on Levin’s concept of data practices and the street-level bureaucracy theory from anthropology, this article underscores the impact of technocrats’data practices on shaping the environmental ontologies that form the foundation of national environmental governance policies. Such data practices include their approaches to collecting data and theories, as well as their discretion in handling data within specific historical contexts. Based on these findings, the article emphasizes the importance of“bringing back the discretion of technocrats”to the study of environmental politics. Regarding the understanding of how technocrats shape the environment, the article introduces the concept of“sufficiency”and argues that by focusing on technocrats’concerns about what constitutes“sufficient”data can expand the discussion topics in the literature on environmental ontology.