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
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