Veerabhadran Ramanathan, winner of the Third Tang Prize for Sustainable Development, last Friday talked to faculty and students at the National Chung Hsing University (NCHU). The professor encouraged young people to use social media to promote awareness of the urgency of climate change, to facilitate further debate about possible solutions.
Ramanathan presented a speech entitled “Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions” at the NCHU Library and conversed with more than 400 students and university staff.
According to Ramanathan, climate change will enter a critical stage in ten years’ time. Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, which will envelop the Earth like a blanket and keep the infrared radiation that heats the Earth from escaping, leading to the phenomenon of global warming.
Photo courtesy of the Tang Prize Foundation
照片:唐獎教育基金會提供
Ramanathan said that when the Earth heats up to 2 degrees Celsius, hundreds of millions of people will be exposed to extreme temperatures, and 600 million people will be affected by infectious disease as well as droughts and flooding, forcing people to flee their homes.
Ramanathan warned that the impact of climate change will be worse even than another world war, and that it was imperative that ways to reduce carbon dioxide levels are found. People’s lack of awareness of the issue was a real problem, he said, making communication and education of paramount importance.
Ramanathan told the audience of his own experience, having had solar panels installed in his house many years ago, and how he no longer needs to pay for electricity. While he said it was not his place to suggest Taiwan uses solar power, he could not understand why Taiwan still needs to burn coal, as coal burning causes air pollution and damages the environment.
Photo: Pixabay
照片:Pixabay
When asked about what young people can do for climate change, Ramanathan said that they can start by lowering their carbon footprint and spreading the word about climate change and possible solutions through social media.
(Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
第三屆唐獎永續發展獎得主維拉布哈德蘭.拉馬納森上週五在中興大學和師生對談,鼓勵年輕人透過社群媒體,讓更多人知道氣候變遷問題的迫切性後,就可討論如何解決。
拉馬納森在中興大學圖書館演講「曲線彎轉:氣候變遷解決之道」,並與四百多名興大師生對談。
拉馬納森表示,氣候變遷在十年後會進入危機階段,燃燒化石燃料會產生二氧化碳,二氧化碳就像幫地球蓋了一層毯子,地球溫度是紅外線輻射造成,二氧化碳的毯子讓紅外線溫度散不掉,會有地球暖化問題。
拉馬納森說,當地球升溫攝氏兩度時,將有數億人生活在極端酷熱環境中,有六億人口會因病媒感染傳染病,並出現旱災、水災,有些人被迫離開家園。
拉馬納森說,氣候變遷的影響比世界大戰更可怕,要想辦法降低二氧化碳,但很多人沒意識到,這要透過溝通、教育。
拉馬納森分享自身經驗,多年前他在家中裝太陽能面板,現在他已不用買電。雖他無權倡導台灣使用太陽能,但他不了解為何台灣還要燃煤,燃煤會產生空氣汙染並破壞環境。
年輕人可為氣候變遷做什麼努力?拉馬納森表示,可先從降低自己的碳足跡開始,透過社群媒體讓更多人知道氣候變遷問題,提供解決方式。
(中央社)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too