BEIJING, Jan. 9 -- With a national strategy being developed, the country has taken on the urgent need to map out systematic measures to cope with severe climate change.

    The strategy, which environment officials say will be released soon, aims to reduce energy consumption, clean up the environment, and hold back the trend of warmer weather adversely impacting China's ecological, social and economic development.

    The move testifies to China's commitment to reducing the effects of global climate change.

    It shows China is placing unprecedented importance on the growing reality of global warming.

    The recent national climate report, drafted by six authoritative departments, warns that climate change will raise the average temperatures in China by 2 or 3 C in the next 50 to 80 years. That could possibly cause dire consequences for China's ecology and economy, leading to big drops in agricultural output and more catastrophic natural disasters.

    Facing those climate challenges, China has no choice but to take initiatives to keep the worst from happening.

    In this sense, the national strategy, serving as a sound technical reference for policy, will have great bearing on China's future development.

    It will direct the implementation of the country's ecological protection plan, released last month, from now to 2010. The plan sets specific targets on major ecological fronts.

    Internationally, it will play a part in the global drive to curb the planet's rising temperatures.

    The Kyoto Protocol, which required developed countries to lower emission of greenhouse gases, is believed to have suffered setbacks as major global economic players have yet to show due respect for the agreement.

    Lack of full cooperation has aroused widespread fear that global efforts to combat unfavorable climate changes may go nowhere without the active participation of those major powers.

    Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Development Report 2006 issued fresh warnings that the world may face substantial crises if current trends, such as the diminishing water supply, go unchecked.

    All nations and residents of the globe are obliged to do their part to save the earth from disastrous climate change.

    (Source: China Daily)

Editor: Nie Peng