Summers in Taiwan could grow longer from the current 130 days to 155 to 210 days by the end of this century, a report released yesterday by the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
The ministry in a news release also presented the key findings of a separate report issued on Monday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and offered Taiwan’s historic and forecast data for comparison.
The average annual temperature in Taiwan rose by 1.6°C from 1911 to last year, with the trend accelerating over the past 30 to 50 years, the ministry said.
The average annual rainfall during the period did not change significantly, but the number of years with reduced rainfall increased after 1961, it said.
The ministry’s report referred to different scenarios under shared socioeconomic pathways to project climate change risks for Taiwan.
The average annual temperature in Taiwan would continue to rise this century, increasing 1.3°C if ideal measures are taken to mitigate global warming, but rising by 1.8°C or even 3.4°C under the worst-case scenario, it said.
By the end of this century, the length of winter in Taiwan would shrink from 70 days to 50 days or even none, it said.
The nation’s average annual rainfall is projected to increase 12 to 31 percent, and the intensity of heavy rainfall in a single day might rise 15.3 to 41.3 percent, it said.
However, the number of consecutive rainless days has also been increasing, and are projected to increase by 0.4 to 12.4 percent, the report said.
The number of typhoons directly affecting Taiwan might fall by 55 percent, while the frequency of single severe typhoons would increase by 50 to 100 percent, it said.
The data were compiled by the ministry-funded Taiwan Climate Change Projection Information and Adaptation Knowledge Platform, Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Environmental Changes, the Central Weather Bureau, National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Earth Sciences, and the ministry-affiliated National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction.
Representatives from the entities worked as a climate science team for about a decade, said Tang Tsung-ta (湯宗達), associate researcher at the ministry’s Department of Natural Sciences and Sustainable Development.
This is the first time the ministry presented its findings in a release soon after the climate change panel’s report and the move aims to adapt to today’s information circulation speed, he said, adding that the data could serve as a reference for policymakers.
For example, the agriculture sector could refer to the data to adjust crop production, such as shifting some crops from southern to northern areas as temperatures climb, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as