Global warming is happening gradually in Taiwan and the government should establish a dedicated office to address it, WeatherRisk Co weather director Chia Hsin-hsing (賈新興) said yesterday.
Taiwan saw its warmest winter last year and extreme rain in recent years demonstrates the impact of global warming, so the government should see climate change as a threat to national security and show its determination to handle it, Chia said.
The most significant impact on Taiwan is increasing temperatures, regardless of season, he said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City High Riverbank Construction Management Office
Global warming caused more frequent heavy rain in short periods in the past three years, with afternoon thundershowers often bringing more than 70mm per hour, leading to serious flooding, he said.
Studies in other countries suggest that rising global temperatures would lead to reduced productivity, affecting economic growth, he said.
Global warming can also cause public health problems, with studies showing that rising temperatures can lead to increased mosquito breeding at higher latitudes, which might result in dengue fever spreading farther, he said.
The average sea level is rising and seawater is acidifying due to increased carbon dioxide, which also affects coral growth and shellfish, he said.
Climate change is mainly caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions, especially from the energy industry, Chia said.
While many countries have adopted stricter emissions regulations, Taiwan still has a lot of room for improvement, he said.
For Taiwan to better adapt to the changing climate, the government should reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve spatial planning.
It should also place more emphasis on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which would show greater determination to deal with the threat, he said.
Alexandra Bilak, director of the Switzerland-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, said that hazards caused by extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent and intense, the New York Times reported last week.
Extreme weather events would also cause more harm to countries with high poverty rates and low adaptability to climate change, such as the Bahamas, and even those that have lower greenhouse gas emissions might sustain greater damage, Bilak said.
Global warming is said to directly affect human health, with a study published last year in The Lancet saying that flooding and drought cause crop failure, food shortages and even famine, while rising temperatures might increase the risk of disease transmission.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has said the world is facing its greatest-ever threat, with hunger, climate-driven migration, economic growth and political instability problems that need to be addressed.
Additional reporting by Lo Chi
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source