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Climate Change Seen in Typhoon

There have been big events in Taiwan since Typhoon Morakot blew across the southern part of the island on Aug. 8, leaving at least 700 people dead or missing.

The prime minister, Liu Chao-Shiuan, resigned on Sept. 8 after the government came under fire for its handling of the response to Taiwan’s worst typhoon in 50 years. And more recently, the president, Ma Ying-jeou, has suggested an almost revolutionary approach to these massive storms.

Ma told a Taipei newspaper that it is getting more and more difficult to forecast the strength and power of natural disasters in the face of global climate change so government agencies should note which areas are not safe for people to live in, and relocate residents to safer ground.

The Dalai Lama also weighed in on climate change. The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet was moved by the disaster to visit Taiwan to offer support to the victims. It was his third visit and, as usual, it was heavily criticized by China, which considers Taiwan a province of the mainland. During a tour of the stricken area, the Dalai Lama urged Taiwan citizens to pay greater attention to the threat posed by global warming and, while praising Ma’s government for building better relations with China, he urged Taiwanese to “preserve democracy.”

The statements on global warming by President Ma and the Dalai Lama echo those of many water resources experts. One, Lee Hong-yuan, told The Journalist magazine that he believes that when people settle in a place they are not supposed to be, overdevelop the land, especially on hill slopes, they will eventually face nature’s backlash. He suggested that government should roll out overall policies regarding relocation, employment, and schooling.

It seems to me that a lot of other nations (states and cities) should start considering the idea of relocating people instead of just rebuilding over and over again after a natural disaster.