TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Without effective climate control, Taiwan could face a seven-month-long summer, with 75 extra days above 36 degrees Celsius, while winters may shorten by 30 days, according to the first nationwide climate change report following the adoption of the Climate Change Response Act in 2023.
In the "Taiwan’s Climate Change Scientific Report 2024," published by the National Science and Technology Council and the Ministry of Environment, a weather forecast model indicated a 2-degree Celsius warming could lead to a rise in sea levels by 34.5 centimeters across Taiwan.
The report revealed that Yunlin County, Tainan City, and Keelung City are significant flood-risk areas, potentially decreasing agricultural productivity. Hsu Huang-hsiung, a researcher at Academia Sinica's Research Center for Environmental Changes, noted that the disparity in rainfall between wet and dry seasons is expected to increase with the degree of warming.
The climate model predicts that the suitable altitude for Taiwan’s natural forests will rise by 173 meters by 2100, leaving only 16.08% of the current suitable area. Despite Taiwan’s challenging international status and not being a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Hsu stressed that participation could greatly assist Taiwanese policymakers.
Chao Chia-wei, chairman of the Taiwan Climate Action Network, highlighted several benefits of UNFCCC membership, including enhanced environmental diplomacy and collective learning through groups like the High Ambition Coalition, Alliance of Small Island States, and the Umbrella Group.
Asia is the region most affected by climate change and extreme weather, with the 2023 warming trend nearly doubling since the 1961-1990 period and outpacing the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Although not a UNFCCC member, Taiwan is committed to combating climate change, having established a 2050 net-zero goal, the Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange Trading Platform, and formulating the Climate Change Response Act. Nonetheless, experts urge the global community to recognize the benefits of Taiwan's official membership in the UNFCCC.
