China Releases Climate Change Report

China on Wednesday published a report detailing the actions and policies it had taken on climate change in 2011.

AsianScientist (Nov. 26, 2012) – China on Wednesday published a report detailing the actions and policies it had taken on climate change in 2011.

The report, titled China’s Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change (2012), was released in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference that is starting today.

The report describes the extreme weather and climate events China faced in 2011, including freezing rain and snow in south China, spring and summer droughts in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, rainstorms and floods in the south, typhoons in coastal areas, autumn rains in western China, and serious waterlogging in Beijing.

In 2011, natural disasters affected 430 million people and caused direct economic losses of 309.6 billion yuan (US$49.6 billion).

Also in 2011, the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National People’s Congress approved the Outline of the 12th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.

The Plan sets binding targets to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent, cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 17 percent, and raise the proportion of non-fossil fuels in the overall primary energy mix to 11.4 percent by the year 2015.

Key tasks include controlling greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change, and strengthening international cooperation.

According to the report, the most important outcome of the conference should be the implementation and enforcement of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, starting on January 1, 2013.

The 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 8th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP8), will be held from November 26 to December 7 at the Qatar National Convention Center in Dohar, Qatar.

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