TAIPEI — A sightseeing train stands abandoned on a mountainside in southern Taiwan. The railway in Alishan, a popular destination for Japanese tourists, should be taking thousands of visitors every day past red cypresses for panoramic views.
But no tourists can get there because the road leading up to the alpine resort was swept away by mudslides when Typhoon Morakot devastated the area in August.
It is generally believed that the typhoon, which killed more than 700 people, grew into an unusually powerful storm because of global warming. But Taiwan, because it is not a member of the United Nations, is only being represented by NGOs at the Climate Change Conference that kicked off Monday in Copenhagen. Many Taiwanese feel that while participating at any level is a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go.