The current climate change as a result of human activities and
greenhouse gas emissions poses a more serious threat to life on
Earth than previously expected, said top Chinese and global climate
scientists in a statement in Paris on Friday.
The United Nations panel, which groups 2,500 scientists from
more than 130 nations, predicted more droughts, heatwaves,
rainstorms and a rise in sea levels that could last for more than
1,000 years.
The scientists have worked continuously for six years on the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
While three leading Chinese scientists co-authored the first
part of the IPCC report, many other Chinese scientists have been
carrying out their own research echoing the IPCC findings.
The IPCC is now ringing the alarm bell even louder.
"No country, government, or individuals can overlook the threat
of climate change," Li Yan, climate and energy campaigner and
spokesperson for Greenpeace China, told China Daily.
"The threat is not that far away from the present, and China may
be more vulnerable and suffer more from it.
"But China can and must take up the responsibility of cutting
carbon dioxide emissions by actively developing renewable energy,
reducing reliance on fossil fuels and improving energy efficiency,"
she said.
"Climate change has an impact on China's environment, social
system and economic development, which will become more serious,"
said Chen Dongmei, director of the WWF China Climate Change and
Energy Program.
The IPCC report indicates that CO2 accounts for 90 percent of
the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Chen said that it is especially important to promote public
awareness and practice energy saving as studies show that the
consumption of energy by urban dwellers accounts for more than 25
percent of the country's total consumption.
Early last month, two groups of 143 scientists from 18
government ministries and agencies released a 422-page report,
which offered a comprehensive study on climate change and its
effects on weather, agriculture and ecosystems in the country.
Meanwhile, Chen Yiyu, president of the National Natural Science
Foundation of China and a bio-diversity expert, warned last week
that life on earth was experiencing changes more dramatic than any
geological period in the past.
Scientists estimate living species are dying at the rate of 100
to 1,000 times faster than the advent of humankind.
If the current global warming maintains its momentum, between 15
to 37 percent of species on Earth will become extinct by 2050, Chen
said.
(China Daily February 3, 2007)
