China has set up a think tank on climate change adding to its
efforts to brace for potential extreme weather, according to the
China Meteorological Administration.
Qin Dahe, director of the administration, said the think tank is
designed to offer advice and devise strategies and regulations to
tackle climate change. The think tank is to be headed by Sun
Honglie from Chinese Academy of Sciences. Qin said China is
following other countries including the United States, the United
Kingdom, and Canada which have set up similar think tanks and have
put climate change on their lists of national security threats.
The 12 members of the think tank are from 11 government agencies
and research institutes including the State Environmental
Protection Administration, the National Development and Reform
Committee, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Qin said the inter-agency committee will help the nation reduce
the death toll and property loss from extreme weather caused by
climate change.
Extreme weather in China, including typhoons, floods and
droughts claimed 2,704 lives and inflicted economic losses of 212
billion yuan last year.
Dong Wenjie, director of the administration's climate center,
earlier predicted extreme weather in 2007 could be worse than
normal. More frequent typhoons, floods, storms, droughts and heat
waves are possible, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2007)
