Academics and environmental protection officials from various countries yesterday underlined the importance of establishing international partnerships to meet the challenges brought by climate change, saying that greenhouse gas reduction and carbon mitigation require the collaborative efforts of members of the international community.
Speaking at this year’s Pan-Pacific Partnership on Climate Change Adaptation conference in Taipei, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Donald Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois, said that climate change impacts all countries, including Taiwan, which has seen increased tropical storms in recent years.
He said that as an island-nation, Taiwan is more vulnerable to the threats posed by climate change; therefore, in addition to making efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the government should approach these threats in a new light and formulate policies that aid its citizens in the process of adapting to climate change.
Wuebbles called on pan-Pacific countries, including Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, to collaborate on work such as risk assessment and adaptation, and establish partnerships to address the issues brought about by climate change to create a sustainable environment.
Academia Sinica research fellow Liu Shaw-chen (劉紹臣) said that as a result of the higher temperatures seen in the pan-Pacific region — which have increased by 1°C over the past decade or so — the precipitation of torrential rains accompanying tropical storms has tripled, according to statistics produced by analyzing the top 10 percent of tropical storms that hit the region from 1979 to 2007.
The temperature increase, which contributed to a 7 percent rise in vapor in the region, has created a higher level of heat convection and in turn increased the chances of torrential rains, he said, adding that typhoons packing torrential rains will be a major challenge faced by all countries in the pan-Pacific area.
On the other hand, Taiwan has been experiencing more arid periods in which no precipitation is recorded for eight to 14 days, indicating that the possibility of droughts has also increased as a result of climate change, Liu said.
He called on the government to be prepared for typhoons packing extra-heavy rainfall and consider the risks of torrential rains when it embarks on flood mitigation projects.
A more comprehensive assessment of slope developments and the allocation of flood prevention infrastructure should also be high on its priorities, Liu said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost