Climate change 'affecting' China

Parts of Shaanxi province face drought after January saw as little as 10% of average rainfall, state media say.

Frozen lakes are melting and trees are blossoming in the capital Beijing as it experiences its warmest winter for 30 years, the China Daily reported.

China is the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases, after the US.

The country's top meteorologist, Qin Dahe, said the recent dry and warm weather in northern China was related to global warming.



But he told reporters that China was committed to improving energy efficiency, and planned to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions by 20% in the next five years.

Mr Qin was China's representative on an inter-governmental panel on climate change, which last week released a report saying mankind was very likely the cause of global climate change.

His comments, at a press conference in Beijing, mark the Chinese government's first official response to the report's findings.

from the BBC