Without plans to mitigate and adapt to climate change, Taiwan could face serious challenges in the years ahead, the Ministry of Science and Technology said Tuesday, one day after the publication of a major United Nations climate change report.

The ministry said in a statement that its latest study indicated that human-induced global warming could disrupt both local ecosystems and the lives of Taiwanese.

There could be more extreme weather, including stronger typhoons, more severe droughts and intensive rain, the ministry said in response to the publication Monday of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a U.N. body that assesses climate change related science.

“The world faces unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius,” according to the IPCC.

“Even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible,” the panel said, warning that risks for society will also increase, including to infrastructure and low-lying coastal settlements.

In the case of Taiwan, the ministry said, a global increase of 2 degrees will cause sea levels across the country to rise by 0.5 meters, while 4 degree growth will lead to a 1.2 meter increase, exponentially increasing the chance of flooding, particularly in southwestern Taiwan.

Global warming could also damage ecosystems and the agricultural sector in Taiwan, the ministry said.

It also pointed out that if global temperatures increased by an average of 2 degrees, Taiwan will see its rice harvest reduced by 5-20 percent and the spread of yellow fever mosquitoes — a dengue fever agent– further north.

Taiwan should work with the global community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve its ability to adapt to climate change, according to the ministry.

Also responding to the UN report, experts in Taiwan urged the government to treat global warming as an issue of national importance.

Yuan Mei-hua (???), an assistant research fellow with Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Environmental Changes, said it is time for Taiwan to establish a nationwide surveillance and reporting system for its ecosystems.

Liao Kuo-wei (???), a professor in the Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering at National Taiwan University, said Taiwan needs to better assess the risks posed by global warming and respond accordingly.

However, most strategies so far proposed lack detail, he said, adding that a more integrated approach is needed.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel