Latest news with #TaiwanNews
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Farmers devastated as sudden shift wipes out 80% of avocado harvest — here's what you need to know
Avocado farmers in Taiwan are suffering from production yield losses as high as 80% due to extreme weather, Taiwan News reported. A healthy, mature avocado tree produces 100 to 200 avocados per year, according to Avocado Variety Collection. Farmers in Pingtung, Taiwan, are looking up at their avocado trees to see only "two to three small fruits on many trees this harvest season," per Taiwan News. The extreme weather in Taiwan in recent years has led to dismal avocado production losses, which are tangible financial losses affecting farmers' livelihoods in Southern Taiwan. Mango farmers in Bangladesh and Belgian winemakers have experienced similar production declines. Despite Taiwan being one of the wettest places in the world — receiving about 100 inches of rain per year, with rainfall particularly concentrated during monsoon and typhoon events — Taiwan has been experiencing some of the worst drought conditions the island has seen in nearly a century. Taiwan depends on the area's heavy rainfall to replenish water reservoirs that support agricultural activities, as well as semiconductor manufacturing (manufacturing computer chips) — both of which are water-intensive activities. Due to drought conditions, however, Taiwanese farmers are being subsidized not to plant certain water-hungry crops, such as rice, to leave enough water for semiconductor manufacturing activities to persist. Taiwanese avocado farmers with mature, fruit-producing trees, however, can only follow the course of nature. One farmer, who saw his avocado production yields fall by 80%, joked that there won't be much work for him this year, per Taiwan News. Rising global temperatures are causing wild swings in climate conditions (e.g., lack of rain, followed by erratic, intense rainfall), which have harrowing consequences on the land and available water resources. This affects crop yields, making produce and groceries more expensive. What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time Not enough space It seems too hard I have a garden already Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Farmers also depend on available and affordable water to grow crops and food for humans, but if water is scarce or not predictably available, water prices become more expensive. That increased cost is also passed on to consumers, who notice increasing grocery prices. Gaoshu township chief Liang Cheng-han petitioned Taiwan's legislators and agricultural officials for subsidies to alleviate the financial burden of farmers' production losses. He also pushed for more research on how Taiwan's recent and changing climate conditions will impact avocado seedlings and future harvests. In the United States, scientists at the University of California, Riverside successfully developed a new smaller avocado variety that allows for more efficient harvest capabilities that may aid the global avocado shortage. Disruptions to the global food supply may inspire more consumers to pursue food security at home. While many of us may not have access to acres of land for farming, a small garden plot may do. You can grow your own food by replanting vegetable scraps, making the most of your produce. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Officials celebrate astounding feat after removing more than 36,000 invasive lizards in mere months: 'A lot of people bought them as cute little pets'
Taiwan officials announced a huge win in the battle against invasive green iguanas in the country, removing thousands of the animals in just four months. Taiwan's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA) reported that it had removed 36,543 green iguanas in 2025 up until April, triple the number in the same period in 2024, according to Taiwan News. The FNCA utilized an app originally designed for reporting natural disasters threatening crops, which was updated with a function to report green iguana sightings. The organization also worked with four teams of indigenous hunters for more difficult-to-reach areas, as well as nine removal squads, totaling 1,635 people on the lookout for the lizards. Green iguanas were introduced to Taiwan via the exotic pet trade around 20 years ago, according to The Economist. They now total around 200,000 and threaten farmers' crops like maize, red beans, and gourds, and they face no natural predators on the island. Prime breeding time is in the period from spring to early summer, and the outlet said some believe their prolific numbers are due to unusually warm winters, tied to rising global temperatures. FNCA Director General Lin Hwa-ching told Taiwan News that green iguanas tend to be found in clusters, with their presence a result of poor human management. Hwa-ching also urged the public not to demonize the animals, but instead focus on compassion during removal. Taiwan is one of several countries facing issues with green iguanas, a popular animal in the exotic pet trade that has been known to escape or be abandoned. It has even caused problems in Florida. "A lot of people bought them as cute little pets, not realizing how big and long-lived they would become, so they set them free in the wild, where they've really taken to the Taiwanese environment," Lee Chi-ya of the agricultural department in the southern county of Pingtung told CNN. Invasive species don't just come in the form of exotic pets, but non-native plants as well, which is something to consider when you're planting in your yard or garden. Focusing on native species, whether plant or animal, helps ensure continued biodiversity and ultimately saves on resources (and money, too). Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CNN
07-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Fact check: Trump repeats lie that champion Olympic women's boxers ‘transitioned'
Before signing an executive order Wednesday to try to ban transgender women from competing in women's sports in schools and other settings, President Donald Trump repeated a lie he told last year. He asserted that two Olympians who won gold in women's boxing events in 2024 were men who 'transitioned.' 'Who could forget last year's Paris Olympics, where a male boxer stole the women's gold medal after brutalizing his female opponent so viciously that she had to forfeit just after 46 seconds, and she was a championship fighter. And actually they had two women, or two people, that transitioned, and both of them won gold medals, and they won them very convincingly,' Trump said. Facts First: Trump's claims are not true. These two Olympic champions, welterweight gold medalist Imane Khelif of Algeria and featherweight gold medalist Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan, never 'transitioned.' Both were identified as female at birth and have always competed as women. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said last year: 'We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.' In addition to the International Olympic Committee, Khelif herself and her father noted last year that Khelif was born and raised as female and had always competed as a woman. Taiwan News reported that Lin was registered as a female at birth and had participated in female boxing events since middle school. Before their triumphs in the Olympics, Khelif and Lin were disqualified in 2023 from the world championships held by the International Boxing Association – an organization with extensive ties to the Russian government that was stripped of official recognition by the International Olympic Committee for a variety of problems, including a history of corruption. The authority has claimed that a gender eligibility test showed Khelif and Lin had 'competitive advantages over other female competitors,' but it has never substantiated this assertion. Regardless of the merits of the 2023 disqualifications, there is simply no basis for claiming Khelif and Lin 'transitioned.'
CNN
06-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Fact check: Trump repeats lie that champion Olympic women's boxers ‘transitioned'
Before signing an executive order Wednesday to try to ban transgender women from competing in women's sports in schools and other settings, President Donald Trump repeated a lie he told last year. He asserted that two Olympians who won gold in women's boxing events in 2024 were men who 'transitioned.' 'Who could forget last year's Paris Olympics, where a male boxer stole the women's gold medal after brutalizing his female opponent so viciously that she had to forfeit just after 46 seconds, and she was a championship fighter. And actually they had two women, or two people, that transitioned, and both of them won gold medals, and they won them very convincingly,' Trump said. Facts First: Trump's claims are not true. These two Olympic champions, welterweight gold medalist Imane Khelif of Algeria and featherweight gold medalist Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan, never 'transitioned.' Both were identified as female at birth and have always competed as women. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said last year: 'We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.' In addition to the International Olympic Committee, Khelif herself and her father noted last year that Khelif was born and raised as female and had always competed as a woman. Taiwan News reported that Lin was registered as a female at birth and had participated in female boxing events since middle school. Before their triumphs in the Olympics, Khelif and Lin were disqualified in 2023 from the world championships held by the International Boxing Association – an organization with extensive ties to the Russian government that was stripped of official recognition by the International Olympic Committee for a variety of problems, including a history of corruption. The authority has claimed that a gender eligibility test showed Khelif and Lin had 'competitive advantages over other female competitors,' but it has never substantiated this assertion. Regardless of the merits of the 2023 disqualifications, there is simply no basis for claiming Khelif and Lin 'transitioned.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact check: Trump repeats lie that champion Olympic women's boxers ‘transitioned'
Before signing an executive order Wednesday to try to ban transgender women from competing in women's sports in schools and other settings, President Donald Trump repeated a lie he told last year. He asserted that two Olympians who won gold in women's boxing events in 2024 were men who 'transitioned.' 'Who could forget last year's Paris Olympics, where a male boxer stole the women's gold medal after brutalizing his female opponent so viciously that she had to forfeit just after 46 seconds, and she was a championship fighter. And actually they had two women, or two people, that transitioned, and both of them won gold medals, and they won them very convincingly,' Trump said. Facts First: Trump's claims are not true. These two Olympic champions, welterweight gold medalist Imane Khelif of Algeria and featherweight gold medalist Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan, never 'transitioned.' Both were identified as female at birth and have always competed as women. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said last year: 'We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.' In addition to the International Olympic Committee, Khelif herself and her father noted last year that Khelif was born and raised as female and had always competed as a woman. Taiwan News reported that Lin was registered as a female at birth and had participated in female boxing events since middle school. Before their triumphs in the Olympics, Khelif and Lin were disqualified in 2023 from the world championships held by the International Boxing Association – an organization with extensive ties to the Russian government that was stripped of official recognition by the International Olympic Committee for a variety of problems, including a history of corruption. The authority has claimed that a gender eligibility test showed Khelif and Lin had 'competitive advantages over other female competitors,' but it has never substantiated this assertion. Regardless of the merits of the 2023 disqualifications, there is simply no basis for claiming Khelif and Lin 'transitioned.'
