Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) An Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) official said Monday in an international conference that the impact of global warming on Taiwan is obvious and can be seen in many ways.
Young Chea-yuan, director-general of the Bureau of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control said in the conference on the electric power industry's global warming strategies that Taiwan currently ranks 22nd globally in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and accounts for 1 percent of global GHG emissions.
The average temperature rise in Taiwan in the last century is between 0.98 degrees Celsius to 1.43 degrees Celsius, which is higher than the global average of 0.6 degrees Celsius, Young said, adding that the highest temperature in Taipei (37.4 degrees Celsius) and Yilan (38.8 degrees Celsius) are both 70-year records.
The average annual numbers of consecutive dry days was about four days in 1950, increasing to 10 days in 2004, indicating less rainfall, he said.
The number of typhoons hitting Taiwan has remained stable, he went on, but added that the intensity has shown an increasing trend.
Taiwan's insurance losses due to typhoons and floods were NT$27 million in 2003, skyrocketing to almost NT$1.3 billion in 2005.
Offshore fishing and ecological phenomenon like bird diversity have also been affected, he said.
Taiwan has not signed the Kyoto Protocol -- an amendment to an international treaty on climate change, assigning mandatory targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to signatory nations -- due to its unique political status, but it is determined to tackle the issue head on, said Young.
By establishing a legal basis, promoting an inventory of GHG emissions and voluntary reduction measures, promoting a national emission reduction campaign and improving inter-agency cooperation, Taiwan should be able to able to shore up an effective GHG reduction strategy, he said.