Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that now is the time to carry out a complete re-assessment of water and land conservation in order to find the best ways to protect the environment.
Speaking at a seminar organized by the presidential Technology Advisory Committee on possible factors that led to widespread devastation caused two weeks ago by Typhoon Toraji and how post-disaster reconstruction should proceed, Lu said that seeing the countryside destroyed made her feel as if "God has become angry" and as if the land is fighting back against mankind.
Lu, who serves as chairwoman of the committee, pointed out that some believe the disastrous losses brought about by Typhoon Toraji could be attributed to the global climate changes that have led to an increase in the number of typhoons in the region, while others say that artificial factors, including excessive development, are the major culprits.
Stressing that although she was not expressing her dissatisfaction at the nation's betel-nut farmers, Lu said that the fashionable "betel-nut culture" -- evidenced by the 3 million people in Taiwan who chew them, consuming 15 million betel nuts worth NT$100 billion (US$2.89 billion) a year -- must be re-evaluated.
Typhoon Toraji, which killed 103 people and has left 110 missing in central Taiwan, caused massive mudslides that some have attributed to the over-planting of mountain slopes with shallow-rooted betel-nut trees.
Meanwhile, at a seminar organized by the National Policy Foundation on the effects on Taiwan of the most recently agreed upon international measures to control global warming, former vice premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) warned that Taiwan's average surface temperature has already gone up by 1.3 degrees Celsius since 1940 -- a figure greater than the global average increase of 0.6 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the 20th century.
He pointed out that the addition of other factors, such as excessive development of mountain areas and excessive drawing of underground water, would lead to more natural disasters.
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
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
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
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft