White paper Chinas policies and actions on climate change.docx

1、White paper Chinas policies and actions on climate changeWhite paper: Chinas policies and actions on climate changeThe State Council Information Office published on Wednesday a white paper entitled Chinas Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change. The document, composed of eight chapters, d

2、escribes that China actively participates in worldwide efforts to address climate change, earnestly observes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and plays a constructive role in international cooperation in this regard. The full text of the white paper f

3、ollows:Chinas Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate ChangeForewordI. Climate Change and Chinas SituationII. Impact of Climate Change on ChinaIII. Strategies and Objectives for Addressing Climate ChangeIV. Policies and Actions to Decelerate Climate ChangeV. Policies and Actions to Adapt to Clim

4、ate ChangeVI. Enhancing Public Awareness in Addressing Climate ChangeVII. Enhancing International Cooperation on Climate ChangeVIII. Institution and Mechanism Building for Coping with Climate Change ConclusionForewordGlobal climate change and its adverse effects are a common concern of mankind. Ever

5、 since the industrial revolution, human activities, especially the massive consumption of energy and resources by developed countries in the process of industrialization, have increased the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, produced conspicuous impacts on the natural ecosystems of the

6、Earth, and posed severe challenges to the survival and development of human society.As a developing country with a large population, a relatively low level of economic development, a complex climate and a fragile eco-environment, China is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, which ha

7、s brought substantial threats to the natural ecosystems as well as the economic and social development of the country. These threats are particularly pressing in the fields of agriculture and live-stock breeding, forestry, natural ecosystems and water resources, and in coastal and eco-fragile zones.

8、 Therefore, Chinas priority task at present is to adapt itself to climate change. The multiple pressures of developing the economy, eliminating poverty and mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gases constitute difficulties for China in its efforts to cope with climate change, since the country is

9、undergoing rapid economic development.A responsible developing country, China sets great store by climate change issues. Fully aware of the importance and urgency of addressing climate change, following the requirements of the Scientific Out-look on Development, and taking into overall consideration

10、 of both economic development and ecological construction, domestic situation and international situation, and present and future, China has formulated and implemented a national plan for coping with climate change, and adopted a series of policies and measures in this regard. China combines the han

11、dling of climate change with its execution of its sustainable development strategy, acceleration of building a re-source-conserving and environmental-friendly society and construction of a country of innovation. Taking economic development as the core objective, and placing emphasis on energy conser

12、vation, optimization of the energy mix, reinforcement of ecological protection and construction, and scientific and technological progress as backup, China strives to control and mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases and continuously enhance the capability of adapting itself to climate change.Ch

13、ina actively participates in worldwide efforts to address climate change, earnestly observes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter referred to as the UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, and plays a constructive role in international cooperation in this regard.I. Climate

14、Change and Chinas SituationThe latest scientific research findings show that the average temperature of the Earths surface has increased by 0.74 degree Celsius over the past century, from 1906 to 2005, and is expected to further rise by 1.1 to 6.4 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century. The

15、rise of global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is mainly caused by the increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, chiefly consisting of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, emitted as a result of human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and changes

16、of land use.Chinas temperature rise has basically kept pace with global warming. The latest information released by the China Meteorological Administration shows that the average temperature of the Earths surface in China has risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius over the past century, from 1908 to 2007, and

17、 that China experienced 21 warm winters from 1986 to 2007, the latter being the warmest year since the beginning of systematic meteorological observations in 1951. The national distribution of precipitation in the past half century has undergone marked changes, with increases in western and southern

18、 China and decreases in most parts of northern and northeastern China. Extreme climate phenomena, such as high temperatures, heavy precipitation and severe droughts, have increased in frequency and intensity. The number of heat waves in summer has grown, and droughts have grown worse in some areas,

19、especially northern China; heavy precipitation has increased in southern China; and the occurrence of snow disasters has risen in western China. In Chinas coastal zones, the sea surface temperature and sea level have risen by 0.9 degree Celsius and 90 mm, respectively, over the past 30 years.Scienti

20、fic research predicts that climate warming trend in China will further intensify; frequency of extreme climate events is likely to wax; uneven distribution of precipitation will be more visible than before and the occurrence of heavy precipitation will increase; drought will expand in scope; and the

21、 sea level will rise faster than ever.The basic conditions of China present the country with great challenges in addressing issues regarding climate change. A complex climate and a fragile eco-environment determine that Chinas task of adapting itself to climate change is arduous. China is characteri

22、zed by a continental monsoon climate, and most parts of China have a wider range of seasonal temperature change compared with other continental areas at the same latitude. Many places in China are cold in winter and hot in summer, and high temperatures generally prevail in the country at large in su

23、mmer. Precipitation is unevenly distributed in time and space, concentrating in the flood season, and annual precipitation decreases from the southeast coast to the northwest interior. China has a fragile eco-environment, with serious soil erosion and desertification and a forest coverage rate of 18

24、.21 percent, only 62 percent of the worlds average. The area of natural wetlands is comparatively small; most grasslands are highly frigid meadows and desert steppes; temperate grasslands in northern China are in danger of de-generation and desertification due to the impacts of drought and deteriora

25、tion of the eco-environment. With a coastline over 18,000 km long, China is vulnerable to the adverse effects of sea level rises. A large population and a relatively low level of economy determine that Chinas development task is a formidable one. The population of the mainland of China reached 1.321

26、 billion at the end of 2007, ac-counting for 20 percent of the worlds total. China has a comparatively low level of urbanization, with an urbanization rate of 44.9 percent in 2007, lower than the worlds average. The large population also brings huge employment pressure. New urban labor force entrant

27、s of 10 mil-lion and above need jobs every year; as the urbanization process moves forward, tens of millions of rural laborers transfer to the urban areas every year. Statistics from the International Monetary Fund show that the per-capita GDP (gross domestic product) of China in 2007 was US$2,461,

28、ranking 106th, a low-to-middle place, among 181 countries and regions. China is characterized by unbalanced regional economic development and is still nagged by a large income gap between urban and rural residents. The country is still troubled by poverty, with an impoverished rural population of 14

29、.79 million inadequately fed and clad. Those who just have enough to eat and wear and earn an unstable, low income number 30 million nationwide. Moreover, China has a relatively low level of science and technology and weak capacity of independent innovation. Developing the economy and improving peop

30、les lives are imperative tasks currently facing China. Chinas ongoing industrialization process and its coal-dominated energy mix determine that its task of controlling greenhouse gas emissions is a tough one. Historically, Chinas greenhouse gas emissions have been very low. According to data from r

31、elevant international re-search institutions, from 1904 to 2004, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning in China made up only 8 percent of the worlds total over the same period, and cumulative emissions per capita ranked 92nd in the world. Chinas carbon dioxide emissions from energy consu

32、mption in 2004 totaled 5.07 billion tons. As a developing country, China still has a long way to go in its industrialization, urbanization and modernization. To advance further toward its development objectives, China will strive for rational growth of energy demand, which is the basic precondition

33、for the progress of all developing countries. However, its coal-dominated energy mix cannot be substantially changed in the near future, thus making the control of greenhouse gas emissions rather difficult.II. Impact of Climate Change on ChinaChina is one of the countries most susceptible to the adverse effects of climate