A comparison of urban climate resilience reported by international media placed Taipei near the bottom of the ranking. The dataset indexes cities' capacity to handle heat and flooding.

Two factors were singled out: the heat-island effect that sustains high summer temperatures, and drainage capacity when rain falls hard over a short period.

The basin as a condition

Taipei sits in a basin ringed by mountains, a form that traps heat. When the day's accumulated heat fails to dissipate at night, tropical nights lengthen, driving cooling demand and electricity load.

The basin is unfavourable for drainage as well. Water flowing into the city centre has limited exits, so pump capacity and retention facilities determine whether flooding occurs.

Reading the ranking with care

Rankings of this kind shift substantially with the choice of indicators. Depending on how disaster-response systems or sewer investment records are weighted, the same city can be assessed very differently.

Taipei in fact undertook large-scale improvements to drainage and pumping stations relatively early among Asian cities. Which categories score low is more useful than the headline position.

City authorities said they would examine how the figures were calculated. A municipal climate plan is already under way and includes expanded green space and retention capacity.