The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday.
Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury.
According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates the effect of heat stress on humans by combining temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover.
Photo: CNA
Greenpeace said that in the summer of 2023, there were 780 hours of heat-related injury risk, up 213 hours from the previous year.
If no aggressive carbon reduction measures are taken and global temperatures rise by 4°C, the number could rise to 1,193 hours by 2100, it said.
That would mean more than half of the summer would pose the risk of heat-related harm, it said.
Wang Hsiu-chuan (王秀娟), chair of Taiwan Parks and Playgrounds for Children by Children, said that a heat test at a park in May last year found that natural loose surface coverings such as bark or wood chips, and shaded areas helped to reduce heat-related risks.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and local governments should establish concrete plans for cooling, dissipating heat and setting shade ratios at parks and playgrounds, Wang said.
The government should accelerate carbon reduction and energy transition plans, and consider children’s needs when setting carbon reduction targets, Greenpeace said.
The government should also improve children’s outdoor spaces by adding shade, sprinklers and water play areas, as well as heat injury warnings and emergency medical equipment, it said.
It should provide families with subsidies during high temperatures, including for public transportation, it added.
The Ministry of Environment is developing a “cool map” to identify outdoor shaded areas and indoor cool spots, such as parks with good tree cover, places with splash pools or facilities with cooling systems, Climate Change Administration Director-General Tsai Lin-yi (蔡玲儀) said.
The Ministry of Environment is exploring how to use natural methods and environmental design to reduce temperatures and improve outdoor conditions for children, and would develop guidelines for local governments, Tsai said.
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