CLIMATE CHANGE: CHINA PERSPECTIVE

Heavy Snowfall in China

China is one of the developing countries most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change as it becomes the biggest CO2 emitter after the United States. As a developing country with a large population, a relatively low level of economic development, the Government of China are paying more attention to the change of the economic growth pattern and restructuring of economy. In 2007, this expanding economy generated 6028 Mt CO2 which contribute one-fifth of the world total and exceeding the United States for the first time. In China, per capita CO2 emissions rose by 80% which was 2.54 to 4.57 tonnes from 1998 to 2007. Yet China, as a developing nation, is not bound to limit its green house gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol but its population and environment are likely to suffer more the effects of extreme weather events made more frequent by climate change. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall pattern will affect mainly in the fields of agriculture, livestock breeding, forestry, natural ecosystems, water resources, and coastal zones. To combat changing climate, Chinese government is now adopting measures to diversify its sources of energy and to increase energy efficiency, which could slow the sharp rise of its emissions. Also as a developing country of responsibility, China is among the first to formulate a national Agenda 21 entitled China’s Agenda 21 - White Paper on China's Population, Environment and Development in the 21st Century, soon after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and adopted a series of policies and measures taking into account its specific national circumstances, making positive contribution to the mitigation of climate change. At present, China actively participates in worldwide efforts to address climate change, earnestly observes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, and plays a constructive role in international cooperation in this regard.