TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan will create a comprehensive heat protection map to shield its population from escalating temperatures driven by climate change and the island's distinctive topography, Environmental Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) announced Tuesday (June 3). The pioneering initiative represents a targeted approach to safeguard elderly residents, children, outdoor workers and other vulnerable populations as Taiwan experiences increasingly severe heat waves year after year.
The Ministry of Environment (MOENV, 環境部) has formed a cross-sector heat adaptation strategy alliance that unites industry leaders, government officials, academic researchers and civil society organizations. This collaborative body will implement emergency heat response protocols and organize trial exercises to test community readiness. During the press conference, Minister Peng outlined the alliance's four strategic priorities, emphasizing improved data sharing between agencies and coordinated social welfare resource planning at the local government level to help low-income households that cannot afford cooling solutions.
The initiative will introduce standardized heat warning indicators that align with the Central Weather Administration's (CWA, 中央氣象署) existing orange and red heat alert system, Minister Peng explained. These color-coded warnings will serve as triggers for activating community response drills and emergency protocols. The environmental minister revealed that his team will consult with business associations, healthcare providers and urban planners to develop corporate heat action guidelines, create detailed maps of high-risk urban hotspots, and establish a network of participating businesses willing to offer cooling stations during extreme heat events.
To educate the public about these initiatives, the MOENV will organize a series of heat adaptation strategy exhibitions across Taiwan's major population centers from July through September, coinciding with the island's hottest months. These interactive displays will highlight the dangerous urban heat island effect, where concrete and asphalt surfaces absorb and radiate heat, creating temperature differences of up to several degrees between city centers and surrounding rural areas. The exhibitions aim to transform public understanding about extreme heat risks while promoting practical community-based solutions that citizens can implement in their neighborhoods. ◼