China is making a serious effort to protect the global
environment, regardless of its status as a developing country,
according to the country's top weather official.
"China is on the same boat with the rest of the world and we're
facing the same problems of rising temperature and all its
consequences," Qin Dahe, director of the China Meteorological
Administration, said yesterday.
"The Chinese government will not just consider its own interests
and neglect other countries'," said Qin, also a member of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).?
As a responsible member of the international community, China
has already made efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and
mitigate climate change, even though it is exempt from carbon
dioxide (CO2) emission cuts, he noted.
The target of reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20
percent from 2006 to 2010 is not just an "ambitious plan" to
conserve energy but also a responsible commitment to the
environment.
The nation has the second largest CO2 emissions behind the US. A
report last November released by the International Energy Agency
(IEA) showed that China would surpass the US and become the world's
top CO2 emitter by 2009.
The exemption from the obligation of CO2 emission cuts by the
Kyoto Protocol has brought international pressure on China
but Qin sees it as an opportunity to make progress.
One of the most obvious signs of global warming is mild winters
in north China, said a national report jointly released by six
central government agencies and research bodies at the end of last
year.
The National Assessment Report on Climate Change
estimated that, on average, the temperature will increase 1.3-2.1oC
by 2020, and 2.3-3.3oC by 2050. Global warming will negatively
impact China's ecological system and cause further strains on its
water resources, it said.
(China Daily March 15, 2007)
