Taiwan is to give samples of 170 millet species to the world’s “doomsday vault” in Svalbard, Norway, in case of extreme climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
A Taiwanese delegation is to travel to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the arctic circle to deliver the samples, the ministry said at a joint news conference in Taipei with National Central University’s Taiwan Polar Institute.
The millet seeds — the first of a series of crop seeds to be sent — would serve as a backup genetic resource to Taiwan’s domestic seed bank, the ministry said.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The project to preserve millet seeds at the Norway-owned genetic depository dubbed the “doomsday vault” marked a milestone in the nation’s efforts to promote international scientific cooperation and sustainable development, it said.
The vault is expected to receive the millet seed package on Wednesday next week, it said.
Millet is a staple for many indigenous Taiwanese cultures and features prominently in their rituals, said university president Jou Jing-yang (周景揚), who is expected to attend the event celebrating the seeds’ delivery.
The crop plays a key role in the nation’s food security and sustainable agriculture strategy against climate warming, Jou said.
Advances in technology and the economy would not change humanity’s need for food, said Lin Hsueh-shih (林學詩), director of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute.
The council of agriculture, the ministry’s predecessor, 31 years ago established a national seed bank to secure future generations’ food supply, Lin said, adding that the monthly electricity bill to operate it is NT$10 million (US$309,837).
In 2021, the UN named last year the International Year of Millets, recognizing that the staple’s resilience to droughts, floods and cold weather could be needed to deal with the implications of extreme climate change, he said.
Low water requirements, disease resistance, high nutritional value and not needing pesticides are among other qualities that make millet suitable for regions hard-struck by global warming, Lin said.
Making use of the seed bank in Norway means Taiwan would share the seeds with other nations in need, boosting sustainability globally, he added.
The Svalbard vault, which was built on Spitsbergen island in 2004, houses sample seeds for 4.5 million species of agricultural plants, the university said in a news release.
The island is the world’s northernmost permanent settlement, it added.
The vault, designed to survive an earthquake measuring 10 on the Richter scale and a nuclear explosion, is 2km from Taiwan’s artic station, it said.
Permafrost and modern facilities achieve cold storage at the seed bank, the university said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS