Today’s Planet Earth: Our Loving Home will be presented in Chinese, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Excellent viewers, welcome to today’s Planet Earth: Our Loving Home featuring the second part of a two-part series where we present further excerpts of the documentary “±2°C – the Truth Formosa (Taiwan) Must Face.” The film focuses on the effects of climate change in Formosa (Taiwan) and was produced by famed Formosan (Taiwanese) television host Sisy Chen.

The documentary’s title refers to the goal adopted at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark of preventing the Earth’s average global temperature from rising more than two degrees Celsius in the future as beyond this point runaway climate change will occur and endanger humankind’s survival.

The film has received enormous attention in Formosa (Taiwan), with its February 22, 2010 premiere attended by heads of various government branches, top entrepreneurs, academics, celebrities, and volunteers from local environmental groups. More than a thousand people participated in the grand event. The premiere was followed by a series of promotional activities in movie theaters, universities and other venues.

The film’s producers are encouraging everyone to download and view the documentary free of charge from its official website. It’s hoped that more than a million people in Formosa (Taiwan) will watch the film, thus increasing awareness about the urgent need to take action to halt climate change. We’ll now present part wo of “±2°C – the Truth Formosa (Taiwan) Must Face.”

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC released the results of its 2009 study. They revealed that the melting of icebergs in the Arctic and Greenland was far worse than what was predicted in Al Gore’s documentary. The phenomenon has also reached western and eastern Antarctica for the first time. Antarctic icebergs float out into waters south of Australia like warriors dispatched by nature, marking the end of the Earth’s tolerance for humankind.

What is the significance of the Earth’s temperature rising 2° Celsius?

Rising sea levels, combined with intensified typhoons, that is number one and two. Fires. In the semi-arid regions, which have a long dry season adding temperature increases the probability of wildfire. And I’m very, very concerned that we’re looking at two to five meters of sea level rise over the next two to four centuries and once you start this process to what we call a “tipping point,” you probably cannot reverse it.

Remember the figure “two degrees.” Institutions around the globe, including those who attend the Copenhagen meeting and those in the European Union, Japan, the United States, China, and India, multinational corporations, Greenpeace and political groups, etc., have all agreed that temperature increases must be contained within two degrees.

The two-degree threshold was chosen because once this threshold is crossed, the Earth’s ecological system will rage out of control. “Two degrees Celsius” has therefore become crucial to humankind’s survival. Experts estimate that if the temperature of the Earth rises by one single degree, some wild animals will become endangered. Certain species will be forced out of their habitats or even become extinct.

Should the temperature rise by two degrees, as much as 30% of the Earth’s animals and plants will become extinct. Drought and famine will spread, coral reefs will start bleaching, and human beings will face a survival crisis. In case of a three degrees rise, 30% of the coastal wetlands will become submerged. Heat waves and drought will prevail, leaving billions of people without water.

In case of a four degrees rise, Asia, Africa and low-lying deltas will suffer constant flooding. In case of a five degrees rise, more than 40% of the Earth’s animals and plants will become extinct. If the temperature rises more than six degrees, humankind and most species will become extinct.

In 2009, the U.N. tried to convince powerful decision makers of the impending global crisis. Environmental ministers from various countries and the international media witnessed the change taking place in the Arctic and Greenland. Standing on the edge of the world, they saw the pure, white floating ice contrasted with the blue ocean. Yet, the beautiful vast Arctic Ocean exudes a sense of sadness, because each and every floating iceberg was calved from the 1000 year-old glaciers in Greenland.

In recent years, glaciers have been melting at an alarming rate into the sea. International science teams have discovered that the speed of glacier movements in Greenland, the world’s largest island, has increased drastically compared to four years ago. The situation is far more serious than humankind has ever imagined.

The Greenland ice sheet contains about seven meters of sea level equivalent. In other words, If you were to completely get rid of the Greenland ice sheet, put all the ice that’s frozen on the land’s surface as liquid water into the ocean, sea levels around the world would be about seven meters higher than they are today.

A bird’s eye view of the coastline reveals broken ice floating about in the sea. Signs of global warming are everywhere. The speed of ice melting in Greenland will determine the fate of humankind in this century. What does ± 2 degrees Celsius mean? Actually, if the average temperature of Earth rises by two degrees, many islands will disappear.

This is Kiribati, an island nation comprised of 33 atolls in the Pacific Ocean. Now, the highest place here is less than four meters above sea level. The main inhabited area is only about one kilometer away from the coast. Due to global warming, the rising sea levels have already submerged three islands of Kiribati.

Let’s look at some figures: Formosa’s (Taiwan’s) population density is the second highest in the world, only after Bangladesh. With a dense population living on limited space, many poor people are forced to live in uninhabitable or unsafe areas. Formosa’s (Taiwan’s) steep mountains and swift river currents mean that about two percent of the island’s mountain areas get eroded every year, and its level of geological fragility ranks among the world’s top ten.

Formosa (Taiwan) sits on a chain of Asian islands affected by typhoons, which also includes the Philippines and the Ryukyu Islands. Along this chain, Formosa (Taiwan) is second only to the Philippines in terms of typhoon damage, with an average of four typhoons every year.

This is an authentic historical map of Formosa (Taiwan). The Central Weather Bureau has drawn lines representing the routes of all the typhoons that struck the island from 1947 to 1996. The land of Formosa (Taiwan), our home, looks as if it has been squashed under woven strands of bamboo. The bamboo strips represent the areas with the greatest density of rainfall. These areas are concentrated in Hualien County and central and southern Formosa (Taiwan) south of Mount Ali.

Professor, will we become climate refugees?

On this day, after arriving at Taipei’s Fuhsing High School, a student asked this question to a visiting top climatology expert: “Professor, which wave of climate refugees, caused by global warming, will the Formosan (Taiwanese) people fall in?”

Global warming is the most important issue determining your future, your survival and your lives. Now, do you have any questions? You can ask now.

There will be a first wave and a second wave of refugees caused by global warming. I would like to ask you, to which group would we belong?

In terms of climate refugees, Formosa (Taiwan) people will not only be part of the first and second waves, but they will also be in the subsequent waves. At the same time, Formosan (Taiwanese) belongs to the high-risk group. It’s a place that very, very urgently requires preventive measures.

Professor, will another Typhoon Morakot strike Formosa (Taiwan) next year?

Typhoon Morakot was an extreme incident. It has impacted the country in ways never seen before. As to whether another Morakot will strike again next year, judging from history, we can only say that it’s highly likely. You’re faced with a colossal challenge.

But it’s also an historical opportunity. If you can seize this opportunity, you will be creating or rewriting history. You will be able to reverse the Earth’s history. This is a unique mission of your generation, so you must prevail. Three Major Truths that Formosa (Taiwan) must face.

Professor Wang of Academia Sinica estimates that for every degree the Earth’s temperature increases, the average extreme rainfall events across the globe will increase by six percent. However, as Formosa (Taiwan) is on the Tropic of Cancer and is also close to the equator, adding other factors such as terrain and geography, rainfall intensity in Formosa (Taiwan) will increase by 100% at least. If the Arctic melts and the sea level rises by six meters, Formosa (Taiwan) will lose 11% of its land.

The front lines of this potential disaster would include Dongshi in Chiayi county, Linbian and Donggang in Pingtung County, the Lanyang Plain in Ilan County, and Mailiao in Yunlin County, where the island’s largest petrochemical industrial region is located. If the sea level rises even further, Formosa’s (Taiwan’s) most prosperous cities will be second to receive the impact, including the Taipei Basin and the city of Kaohsiung.

A ranking compiled by world top climatologists places the residents of Formosa (Taiwan) among the first wave of climate refugees, which also includes Âu Lạc (Vietnam) and Bangladesh, as well as islands in the South Pacific and the Caribbean. In Formosa (Taiwan), all areas below an altitude of 100 meters will eventually become uninhabitable.

Another major crisis is looming in Formosa (Taiwan), and this one is immediately evident. The typhoons that swept through the island have choked up Formosa’s (Taiwan’s) large reservoir. This is an aerial photograph of the Shihmen Reservoir. We shouldn’t assume that the rains brought about by typhoons like Morakot will only fall in southern Formosa (Taiwan); all of a sudden, the beautiful scenery of a reservoir like this could be transformed into a major disaster.

A rainfall of 1,500 millimeters

Rainfalls caused by extreme climate are becoming ever more unpredictable. Let’s imagine a probable scene. If just over half the amount of rainfall brought by Typhoon Morakot on Ali Mountain would be shifted to the Shimen Reservoir, which is located near the capital city of Taipei in the North, what would happen?

Professor Lee Hung-yuan of the National Taiwan University’s Hydrotech Research Institute estimates that if the amount of rainfall exceeds 1,500 millimeters, Shimen Reservoir’s maximum flood discharge capacity will be exceeded, and the whole dam might collapse. Some 200 to 300 million tons of water will gush out and flood the nearby cities and towns, including Daxi, Sanxia, Tucheng, Banqiao and Xinzhuang, before finally flooding the entirety of Taipei itself.

Formosa (Taiwan), the beautiful island, has embraced her people like a loving mother. Our proud ancestors are watching our every step. They remind us repeatedly: Do not forget. Do not forget. They are constantly reminding us. Through many hardships, the lands are cultivated.

The boundless Pacific Ocean embraces the land of freedom. The sun shines from above on the mountains and fields. Here we have courageous people and through many hardships, the lands are cultivated. Life abounds here: buffaloes, rice, bananas, and magnolias.

This film is dedicated to all the young people of Formosa (Taiwan). Regain control of your lives and grow up in safety.

Save the Earth. Save Formosa (Taiwan). Save the Children.

We once again deeply thank Ms. Sisy Chen for producing “±2°C – the Truth Formosa (Taiwan) Must Face” to awaken people about the issue of global warming so that they will take immediate action to save our endangered Earth. May we all quickly adopt the organic vegan diet as it is the fastest and most effective way to stop climate change.

For more details on “±2°C – the Truth Formosa (Taiwan) Must Face,” please visit
www.正負2度C.tw
The film is available for download free of charge at the website or www.mepopedia.com/?page=394

Knowledgeable viewers, thank you for joining us on Planet Earth: Our Loving Home. Up next is Enlightening Entertainment, following Noteworthy News. May all beings live in eternal happiness.