In just 100 days, the world has witnessed a series of devastating earthquakes. The scale of destruction and the death toll have been horrifying. In contrast, although the earthquake that struck Jiasian Village (甲仙), Kaohsiung County, was more powerful than the great Baihe earthquake a century ago and population density today is much higher, there was very little serious damage.
For years Taiwan has invested heavily in earthquake-resistant buildings and made a concerted effort to ensure that residents know how to react in the event of an earthquake. These measures have had a positive effect.
Unexpected disasters are a part of life in Taiwan, but such adjustments have made it possible to find sustainable ways of living.
If we want future generations to remain in Taiwan, ways must be found to minimize damage and ensure rapid recovery when disaster strikes.
Over the past 200 days, news has poured in of disasters caused by global climatic anomalies. In today’s world it often seems that climate records that have lasted 50 or 100 years are just there to be broken. Nevertheless, it is fortunate that the occurrence of such unusual climate conditions is dependent on certain atmospheric conditions, and we should be thankful it is only southern Taiwan that faces the constant threat of devastating floods.
Global warming means that the occurrence of disasters caused by climatic anomalies can no longer be avoided. At present, meteorological agencies around the world can do little more than develop a general understanding of what will happen, they remain unable to accurately predict the severity and timing of events.
A strong earthquake does not necessarily cause more devastation than a weaker one, but damage does accumulate. The higher frequency of weather disasters and the regular rewriting of climate records make the long-term consequences of neglecting this particularly worrying
In this regard, the disaster brought by Typhoon Morakot last year was a painful lesson for the people of southern Taiwan.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said after Typhoon Morakot that “Taiwan is an area where climate change induced disasters are common,” a realization that also inspired a noted documentary by Sisy Chen (陳文茜). The question is whether people in these areas should flee their homes or devise ways to make life in Taiwan more sustainable?
I have long suggested the establishment of a mechanism that will allow us to adapt to climate change and that we follow the examples of the UK and the US by passing a climate safety law while at the same time implementing projects to cut green house gas emissions, rather than leaving it all to the rhetoric of politicians. If the Taiwanese people want to continue living on this island, they have no choice but to adapt to unstoppable climate change.
As a professor, I teach a seminar called “Introduction to Global Change.” The last class in this course deals with human creativity in times of change, and how artists and entertainers deal with the current doomsday atmosphere by skipping over scientific thinking and creatively expressing personal experiences and insights, in the hope they will be able to encourage people to change their ways.
I can only hope that more scientists will engage in such creative work because only then can we ensure that the road toward a sustainable Taiwan is not blocked by irrelevant squabbles.
Liu Chung-ming is director of the Global Change Research Center at National Taiwan University.
TRANSLATED BY JENS KASTNER
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry