Climate change in Taipei
I told you so!
Since my first letter to the Taipei Times (Letters, June 13, 2011, page 8), I have warned of the dangers of climate change in several letters, for which I have been called a “fraud” and an “eco-fascist.”
Now we have a new record temperature for Taipei (“Taipei bakes on hottest day in 117 years,” Aug. 9, page 1). If the proof is in the pudding, then the pudding is the melting asphalt of Taipei’s streets.
Since my last letter on climate change (Letter, April 14, page 8), the case has only become stronger.
There are now measurements published by the scientific journal Nature that the methane time bomb frozen in the soils of the Arctic tundra is about to go off. These huge amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas more than 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide, will cause a positive feedback loop with unforeseeable consequences for the climate and economy.
Estimates of future climate damage go as high as US$60 trillion, according to Gail Whiteman at the Rotterdam School of Management. Food prices and other living costs will inevitably go up — lower and middle class, are you listening?
The equally prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published two articles, one showing that hurricanes will become more frequent, stronger and wetter, and another one that Boston, New York and Miami are threatened by rising sea-levels. For Taiwan this means typhoons flooding Greater Kaohsiung, Taitung and Taipei.
Due to all that climate change, polar bears have been found starved, but also some of Taiwan’s forests are starting to dry out. A recent expedition to the northeastern coastline by a team from National Taiwan University showed that subtropical forest trees are already dying of drought.
Climate change has even been linked to violent behavior — Egypt, Syria, Yemen, the death of Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), anyone?
However, climate change can also be seen as the opportunity of a lifetime, if you listen to US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy. A carbon tax could spark business innovation, grow jobs and strengthen the economy. Is anybody listening in President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) government?
Anyway, here is my daring prediction: Within the next five years, the 40oC mark will be broken. Who dares to take on this bet? Because I will win for sure.
Flora Faun
Taipei
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing