The documentary illustrates the bleak future that future generations of humans could face: An endless number of devastating typhoons, droughts, and other weather-related aberrations that could make our planet uninhabitable.

Many environmental organizations have come together to sponsor the event, including the Wild at Heart Foundation Legal Defense Association (台灣蠻野心足生態協會) from Taiwan. Admission to the film is free, though on-line registration for the film is now closed, with around 100 or so seats available on a first come first served basis starting on Tuesday at 1:50 p.m.

Amongst this crowd will be government officials representing the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Central Weather Bureau, and other social welfare groups. Their attendance highlights the fact that, in the face of global climate change, Taiwan may fare worse than other countries, as demonstrated by Typhoon Morakot.

In an interview with The China Post on September 11, Christina MacFarquhar of Wild at Heart says climate change will lead to the loss of low-lying land (one prediction calls for a loss of about 272 kilometers squared), increase the problem of freshwater scarcity, and damage our ecosystems further.

She says we can also expect a repeat of Typhoon Morakot as Taiwan's rivers are located on steep terrain and have high discharge per unit drainage area, meaning that heavy rainfall will trigger mudslides.

And considering the government's slow response to this most recent disaster, there is little evidence to believe that Taiwan is prepared for even moderate climate change.

MacFarquhar remarks that more harm than good may have been done through reconstruction efforts associated with Typhoon Morakot such as doing away with Environmental Impact Assessment procedures for reconstruction projects. She points out that the government should be more prudent in working with these areas that have already proven themselves to be dangerous and volatile.

Another area of major concern is the world's water resources. Many predict some areas will experience severe droughts as the human population will continue to demand more water, especially on a subtropical island such as Taiwan.

Currently, inter-basin water transfer projects have become a short-term solution though they are becoming increasingly risky both economically and technically, because the operation dramatically alters an area's hydrology.

MacFarquhar goes on to say, even without climate change, Taiwan's approach towards resource management and development is quite poor, with no consideration for sustainability.

With climate change leading to water shortages and inundation, the situation will only worsen with the following loss of land, food resources, and biodiversity. MacFarquhar notes that Taiwan has been identified as a place of seemingly extremely high endemism and thus faces an exceptional level of threat, especially given the relatively poor documentation undertaken in this area.

In terms of timeline, MacFarquhar believes it's absolutely critical that all CO2-belching countries do something about this. Locally, she says these challenges are compounded by factors such as: An overdependence on engineers and (conventional) economists rather than ecologists for decision-making; the perception that GDP is a sensible tool with which to measure how well we're doing; and Taiwan's isolation from international communities such as the United Nations, which is used as a reason to not abide by the Convention on Biodiversity and the Kyoto Protocol.

Despite Taiwan's isolation from international groups and treaties, a handful of expats, such as MacFarquhar and Robin Winkler of Wild at Heart are working closely with the local environmental movement, helping them connect with foreign experts and the environmental movements around the globe.

MacFarquhar says this is an important role that she can serve; for instance, she provides a voice for poorly-represented creatures such as Taiwan's humpback dolphins at government meetings where discussions generally revolve around the dumping of more chemicals and coal ashes into their natural habitat.

On Tuesday, the screening of the film “Age of Stupid” will be yet another milestone achieved by Wild at Heart and other local environmental groups.

A panel discussion and Q&A session will follow the screening, as local environmental groups hope that this large-scale screening will lead to real action instead of just talk. ■

Age of Stupid (愚蠢年代) / 2 p.m. September 22 (Tue.) / Armed Forces Cultural Center (台北市國軍文藝活動中心) / No. 69 Chunghua Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei City (台北市中華路一段69號) / (02) 2382-5789 / Free Admission / http://www.wildatheart.org.tw / http://www.ageofstupid.net/