•Publication Date：11/10/2011
•Source： Taiwan Today
Taiwan’s annual average temperature could increase 2 to 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century, according to a climate change report released by the National Science Council Nov. 9.
Over the past century, Taiwan’s mean yearly temperature has risen 0.14 C every decade, ahead of the global average of 0.074 C, said Hsu Huang-hsiung, a researcher at Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Environmental Changes and head of the task force that compiled the report.
In the last three decades, the increase in Taiwan’s annual average temperature has accelerated, and if the trend continues, mean temperatures by the end of this century could be significantly higher than at present, according to several climate models used by researchers, Hsu explained.
The report also said the number of rainy days in Taiwan has decreased in recent years but the intensity of rainfall has increased. In the future, the country’s weather patterns could become more extreme, with less rainfall during the dry season and more during the rainy season, presenting a great challenge to the country’s water management and flood prevention measures.
The annual climate change report, launched in 2009, is produced by the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction in cooperation with the Central Weather Bureau, RCEC and university-based researchers.
It compiles the latest information on climate change for reference in government policymaking.
