Snowfall on Taiwan’s Yushan. (Central Weather Administration photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A National Science and Technology Council and Ministry of Environment report projected that Taiwan could stop experiencing winters by 2060 due to climate change. The 2024 report said Taiwan summers could extend to over 150 days by 2040 and that winters could shrink to 45 days by 2050. It also predicted that summers could last seven months by the end of the 21st century, with 75 more days exceeding 36 C. Taiwan’s summers have lengthened by six to 12 days per decade over the past 50 years, with winters shortening by the same amount. The report indicated that winter begins later and ends earlier. Taiwan is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its geography and high population density. The report said that key aspects of climate change in Taiwan include: Rising temperatures According to the Central Weather Administration, Taiwan experienced its warmest year on record last year, with an average temperature of 24.97 C, the highest in 127 years. Taiwan’s average temperature has risen 0.27 C per decade since 1990. Summer temperatures have increased by 0.15 C to 0.32 C, and winter temperatures by 0.15 C to 0.29 C. The report predicted that by 2090, Taiwan’s average temperature could rise about 4.5 C compared to pre-industrial levels. The increase would be more noticeable in cities due to the urban heat island effect, caused by paved surfaces and carbon emissions. The report said the duration of extreme high temperatures above 35 C has significantly increased over the past 30 years. These events, originally occurring from May to October, will begin in April and continue through November. Between 2017 and 2022, Taipei experienced the highest number of extreme heat days, averaging over 40 days annually and peaking at […]
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