Home / Environment / News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Freaky Weather Not Caused by Human Activity: Official
Adjust font size:

Abnormal weather fronts that have battered China of late mostly stem from national particular geographic climate conditions, according to Gu Wanlong, director assistant of the China Meteorological Administration Climate Center.

Some experts have sought to point the finger at global warming for the recent extreme weather conditions, claiming that the unbalanced distribution of rainstorms, sky-high temperatures, prolonged periods of drought and powerful typhoons are proof of the realities of climate change.

However, according to Gu, China's rainy seasons are dictated by the movements of monsoons and these can cause either massive flooding or crippling drought.

"The strength of the summer monsoon determines the location of main rainbelt," said Gu. "This year, the summer monsoon hit China later than in previous years, leading the rain to slowly drift northwards along the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. Therefore, most of the rainstorms were centered on the Huaihe River instead of the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River."

Similarly, Sichuan's rainstorms and drought can also be blamed on sub-tropical weather front movements, leisurely shifting north from the southern oceans. "Therefore, once warm and moist air encounters cold air, precipitations will occur," explained Gu.

This reason also caused the widespread droughts throughout Sichuan and Chongqing in 2006.

Gu explained that agents for climate change interact in five distinct five spheres of the earth, namely the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, although sun radiation and planetary movements play a part. Although human activities such as industrial production play a part, no solid evidence exists to chart their exact influence on climate change outside the greenhouse effect.

In this conundrum lies the debate as to the real effect of the greenhouse effect on climate change and on whether it will continue to have an impact.

Certain Chinese experts have stated that an accumulation of greenhouse gases caused floods in the south amidst increased precipitation while leaving the north afflicted by drought. On the other hand, the decrease of greenhouse gases would shift the rain belt to the north and trigger an opposite reaction.

Floods and drought have been a permanent fixture in Chinese headlines since June, with over 700 people killed in floods, landslides, mudslides and storms across 24 provinces and 82.05 million affected.

More than 533,000 houses collapsed and close 26.18 million hectares of farmland were affected, resulting in 73.58 billion yuan (US$9.68 billion) in direct losses, according to a report from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, August 1, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous

China Archives
Related >>
- Sultry Weather Hits Nanjing
- Villagers Face Heat and Rain in Anhui
- Sultry Weather Tests Zhejiang
- More Torrents to Hit S China in Next 3 Days
- Weather Keeps Heating up in Tibet
- Swollen Rivers Threaten Millions of Lives
Most Viewed >>
Air Quality 
Cities Major Pollutant Air Quality Level
Beijing particulate matter II
Shanghai particulate matter III1
Guangzhou sulfur dioxide II
Chongqing particulate matter III2
Xi'an particulate matter III1
Most Read
- White paper on energy
- Endangered monkeys grow in number
- Yangtze River's Three Gorges 2 mln years in the making
- The authorities sets sights on polluted soil
- China, US benefit from clean energy
NGO Events Calendar Tips
- Hand in hand to protect endangered animals and plants
- Changchun, Mini-marathon Aimed at Protecting Siberian Tiger
- Water Walk by Nature University
- Green Earth Documentary Salon
- Prof. Maria E. Fernandez to Give a Lecture on Climate Change
More
Archives
UN meets on climate change
The UN Climate Change Conference brought together representatives of over 180 countries and observers from various organizations.
Panda Facts
A record 28 panda cubs born via artificial insemination have survived in 2006.
South China Karst
Rich and unique karst landforms located in south China display exceptional natural beauty.
Saving the Tibetan Antelopes
The rare animals survive in the harsh natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
More
Laws & Regulations
- Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China
- Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China
- Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
- Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters
- Law of the People's Republic of China on Conserving Energy
More
Links:
State Environmental Protection Administration
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources
China Environmental Industry Network
Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base