On November 20, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) officially released the Third National Assessment Report on Climate Change, the authoritative and comprehensive report on climate change and its impacts in China. The report shows that annual average air temperature of China has increased by 0.9~1.5°C during the past century since 1909, which was larger than the average global temperature rise. The rate of sea level rise along China’s coasts from 1980 to 2012 was 2.9 mm/a, higher than the global average.

The glaciers in China have retreated, and the trend is accelerating. From 1970s to this early century, the area of glaciers and frozen earth have shrunk 10.1% and 18.6%, respectively. The trend of regional climate warming in China will further intensify in the future, and temperatures are projected to rise another 1.3℃ to 5℃ in most areas of China by the end of this century.

This report is the result of a more than three-year analytical effort by a team of over 500 experts from MOST, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and so on. It is expected to be presented on the United Nations Climate Change Conference which will be held in Paris on November 30 this year.

The 42-chapter National Climate Assessment assesses the science of climate change and its impacts across China, now and throughout this century. It documents climate change related impacts and responses for various sectors and regions, with the goal of better informing public and private decision-making at all levels. (November 23)

Reporter Zhao Tianyu
Editor Wu Peng