Book calls for boosting climate risk prevention

A green book on climate change released on Friday suggested China should strengthen climate risk prevention, as predictions warned the impact of climate change could be enormous.

Co-authored by experts from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the China Meteorological Administration, the Annual Report on Actions To Address Climate Change 2019 predicted the worst-case scenario that climate change could bring to the country by the end of this century.

It warned that the number of heat waves - referring to a lasting period with a temperature above 35 C - might triple from now in China, while the mass of glaciers in the country might be reduced by nearly 70 percent.

Although the nation will likely see an increase in total rainfall, precipitation in various parts of the country will differ, leading to a possibility that the area of farmland suffering from drought on average annually might increase by 2.5 times from now, the report said.

The report suggested that the country should enhance its climate change adaptation capabilities, which means it should improve monitoring in an effort to provide early warnings and take steps to prevent extreme weather.

Chao Qingchen, one of the authors of the book and deputy director of the National Climate Center with the administration, said that China is one of the countries affected most by the climate change.

"The government needs to focus more on areas with higher risks and set up proper models to help them treat disasters," she said.