Three government entities yesterday announced that they would jointly study the effects of global warming on the spread of disease-bearing mosquitos in Taiwan.
The study would help authorities develop a comprehensive policy response as mosquito-borne diseases are becoming more prevalent with climate change, officials from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), Taipei City Government and National Mosquito-Borne Disease and Research Center told a news conference in Taipei.
The project would map the distribution of mosquito populations and project their spread to support disease control strategies, said Chen Chin-sheng (陳錦生), the convener of the center’s consultative committee.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
Climate change causes drought and floods, which — especially when occurring in succession — are conducive to the spread of mosquitoes populations and mosquito-borne infections, EPA Deputy Minister Shen Chih-hsiu (沈志修) said.
Rising average temperatures and longer periods of heat have led to shifts in the distribution of Taiwan’s mosquito populations, Shen said.
The project would help city and county governments combat the insects, he added.
Scientific models predict that 50 to 60 percent of the world population would by 2085 live in areas where dengue fever is prevalent, said Huang Ching-gi (黃旌集), an assistant researcher at the center.
The models show that the risk of dengue fever transmission in northern Taiwan would increase significantly by 2050, he said.
Climate change is correlated to higher risk of dengue transmission, as mosquitoes — the main vector of the disease — thrive at high temperatures, he said.
The models show that mosquitoes would carry the disease to regions further to the north and at higher altitudes, he added.
The government study would divide Taiwan in 10km2 research areas, and in its first phase focus on Taipei and high-altitude areas, Huang said.
The next phase would add New Taipei City and Taichung, he said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
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