Chiung Ting Chang

Climate Change: Responding to a Major Challenge for Sustainable Development

Climate change is emerging as one of the major challenges facing scientific and policy communities. The inherent complexity will ultimately require a much more integrated response scientifically to better understand multiple causes and impacts as well as at the scientific–policy interface where new forms of engagement between scientists, policymakers and wider stakeholder communities can make a valuable contribution to more informed climate policy and practice. The content of this chapter is considered particularly timely as scientific research and policy debate are shifting from one of problem-framing to new agendas that are much more concerned with implementation, the improvement of assessment methodologies from a multidisciplinary perspective and the reframing of current scientific understanding as regards mitigation, adaptation and vulnerability. A critical element of responding to the climate change challenge will be to ensure the translation of these new scientific insights into innovative policy and practice ‘on the ground’.

A preliminary study on mortality attributed to tropical cyclones in Taiwan 2000-2014

ABSTRACT Studies on mortality attributed to tropical cyclones often concern large-scale disasters. Attention is rarely paid to small-scale mortality over the long term. To understand the relationship between the environment and the behavior that contributes to mortality, this article uses a classification table to review the 1556 deaths attributed to tropical cyclones, named typhoons, in Taiwan during the period 2000–2014. The results demonstrate that the majority of outdoor deaths are associated with work-related activities, while most indoor deaths occur during non-work-related activities. Taking action, such as stopping the car on a bridge if the tail lights of a vehicle in front disappear, and not walking on the roadside when the road is flooded by muddy water, may help to reduce the likelihood of typhoon-attributed death. The findings also help to dispel four myths associated with typhoon-attributed mortality.