Taiwan President Lai Ching-te last week warned that intensifying heat is a clear sign of climate change in action, as the government unveiled new urban greening and water management plans aimed at strengthening resilience against extreme weather.
Speaking at the seventh meeting of the National Climate Change Response Committee at the Presidential Office, Lai said April now feels more like summer, underscoring the urgency of adaptation measures.
“Facing hotter summers year after year, we cannot remain on the defensive — we must act proactively,” he said, announcing a push to develop urban forests as a national-level climate adaptation strategy.
The island’s Ministry of Environment outlined a “green canopy expansion” plan that aims to plant more than 10 million trees across cities, with a goal of ensuring residents can reach shaded green space within a six-minute walk.
Officials estimate the programme could reduce perceived temperatures by 2-8°C, while also improving air quality, enhancing flood resilience and supporting biodiversity.
Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming said the initiative would use drones and LiDAR remote sensing to map urban heat hotspots, alongside 3D modelling to simulate cooling effects. The government also plans to partner with businesses via environmental, social and governance (ESG) platforms and encourage public participation through a mobile app for tree adoption.
Initial pilot projects will focus on high-temperature zones in Taiwan’s six major municipalities, though Peng acknowledged significant challenges, including limited spatial data, a lack of regulatory standards, and constraints on tree planting and maintenance.
The ministry aims to submit a comprehensive six-year urban forestry plan by October, potentially accompanied by new legislation governing parks and green spaces.
Taiwan’s push reflects deeper structural vulnerabilities. Despite receiving far above-average rainfall, the island can only utilise around one-fifth of its water due to steep terrain and rapid runoff, leaving it prone to droughts even in wet years. Climate change is intensifying the imbalance, with fewer typhoons replenishing reservoirs while more extreme rainfall events increase flood risks.
Densely populated cities are also experiencing stronger urban heat island effects, amplifying rising temperatures linked to global warming, while agriculture has faced mounting pressure from water shortages and extreme weather.
Separately, the Ministry of Economic Affairs proposed a six-year water and watershed management plan with a budget of NT$553.1 billion (US$17 billion), targeting improvements in supply, flood control and water quality.
Vice economic affairs minister Lai Chien-hsin said the initiative seeks to deliver a vision of “ample water without disasters, clean rivers with fish, and sustainable use”.
Key targets include increasing daily water supply capacity by 1.2 million tonnes by 2031, reducing leakage rates to below 10 per cent, and raising river management coverage to 51 per cent across municipalities. The plan also aims to eliminate severe pollution in rivers nationwide.
Authorities will expand early warning systems for landslides and debris flows to cover 96 per cent of high-risk areas, while applying data-driven approaches such as geographic information systems (GIS) and nature-based solutions to improve watershed management.
A long-term “Pearl Chain” infrastructure project to connect water resources across northern, central and southern Taiwan is expected to be completed by 2039, boosting backup supply capacity to 60 per cent.
Ahead of the meeting, five civil society members issued a joint statement calling for greater transparency on nuclear energy policy, citing a global energy crisis and urging the government to strengthen public communication on its energy transition strategy.
