A Terrible Warning from Taiwan

Last week's Taiwan took a an awful pummelling from Typhoon Morakot, which was especially cruel considering that many of the villages hit were still recovering from a 1999 earthquake that destroyed many towns and villages. What's chilling about Morakot and its wrath is what we're going to see in the coming decades--many of those drastically affected by global warming will be the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

Taiwan has had a rough go at it the last several years. Earthquakes, political infighting, and an uncertain future with Beijing constantly rattling its sable from across the Strait. It doesn't help that this island of 23 million people is diplomatically isolated--when your rival is a billion people strong and is a global trade giant, few states are going to by on your side. I witnessed this in graduate school a couple years ago, when my Taiwanese friends had to wait in line for a visa in order to visit just about any nation on the globe.

What's remarkable is the success Taiwan has enjoyed despite the odds--unlike neighbors such as Japan and Korea, which rely on huge conglomerates that are in cahoots with government, smaller family-run companies generate much of Taiwan's economic activity, engendering a strong entrepreneurial business climate. Taiwan is a leader in semiconductor, LCD panels, consumer electronics--if it has a switch and runs well, most likely a Taiwanese company deserves your thanks.

What's frightening is what could have happened to Taiwan if Morakot hit the northern part of the island, which is where most of Taiwan's economic activity is centered. In three days, Taiwan received as much rain as it normally would in a year. The damage has been so heinous that most of the grunt work needed to rescue people is led by helicopter, as many roads and bridges were wiped out. Meanwhile, many are seething with rage at a government they feel reacted too slowly: imagine how you'd react if your leader said on national TV, "Sorry we were late," as President Ma Ying-jeou meekly told residents in a rural part of the island.

Now thousands of people have lost their lives, more have lost everything they've had, and yet I doubt that they want to hear that they are among the first casualties of climate change--which more and more scientists believe is coming sooner than we think. Yet this tragedy needs to wake us up. "In Taiwan, there are always typhoons in summer time," said my friend, Megan. "However, now the typhoons are getting stronger and stronger than before. Some places haven’t even recovered from the earthquake in 1999 but are hit harder by typhoons every year. That’s why green energy is so important."