Global Compound Hot Day/Hot Night Events Increasing; Peng Chi-ming: Planning Drills for 40°C Heat

TAIPEI, June 23 (CNA) -- According to the latest research, continuous compound events consisting of hot days followed by hot nights have increased by 73% globally; scholars point out that the accumulation of heat load over 24 hours can pose health risks. Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming stated that drills to cope with 40°C heat are planned for this year.

The Ministry of Environment conducted its first "Heat Adaptation Countermeasure Drill" in July last year. Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming stated on Facebook today that drills are planned for this year with 40°C as the benchmark, and that it will involve various ministries to conduct preliminary climate adaptation for high temperatures.

Peng Chi-ming said that it is only late June, and extreme high temperatures have already appeared globally ahead of schedule; this issue is definitely not limited to "heat holidays" but spans many aspects of governance.

A study published in the international journal "Nature Climate Change," completed by a team from institutions including the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, indicates that global heat stress is intensifying and its impact is expanding. Statistics show that continuous compound events, consisting of hot days followed by hot nights, have increased by 73% and can last for nearly a full year, leaving the human body with no time for heat dissipation and recovery.

The Taiwan Science Media Center invited experts in climate science and urban heat environments to provide their perspectives.

Chen Cheng-ta, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at National Taiwan Normal University, stated that this research shows that the real health risk often comes from the accumulation of heat load over 24 hours, and the core problem of nighttime high temperatures is "no recovery time." If the night remains hot, humid, and with low wind speeds after enduring high heat load during the day, it affects the body's heat dissipation, sleep, cardiovascular regulation, and water recovery.

Chen Cheng-ta pointed out that for urban environments, nighttime high temperatures and urban heat islands are particularly critical. In Taipei and New Taipei City, due to basin topography and high development, the average temperature in the city center being more than 3°C higher than in the suburbs is becoming increasingly frequent. This means that urban adaptation cannot only focus on daytime shading but must also address heat storage in building materials at night, ventilation corridors, indoor overheating, and air conditioning heat exhaust.

Shih Wan-yu, an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Resilience at National Taiwan University, stated that her research team also analyzed the diurnal and nocturnal warming characteristics of several monitoring stations in the Taipei area between 1961 and 2023. The results showed that some areas indeed exhibited a higher rate of warming at night than during the day.

Shih Wan-yu pointed out that this study makes it difficult to clearly present the changes in heat stress in Taiwan. Before local research findings are available, in addition to continuing to promote urban forests and city shading, it is recommended that the government prioritize investing relevant resources in the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Agriculture to care for outdoor workers who are exposed to high temperatures for extended periods; at the same time, it can collaborate with social affairs bureaus and relevant NGOs to provide assistance to the homeless, enabling them to have cooler and more comfortable resting spaces at night. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150623

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