Zheng Guoguang feels the heat of global warming even in the chill of the Beijing winter.
"Climate in China is projected to get warmer and climatic extremes and events will likely become more frequent, possibly leading to a drop in the production of major food crops," the new chief of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) told China Daily.
Chinese scientists predict the average temperature will inch up about 2 degrees C by 2050 compared with the 2000 level.
Zheng has asked the 100,000 members working for the agency nationwide to develop measures to counter the adverse influence climate change would have on food supply.
In many cases, crops grow faster when the climate gets warmer, but yields decline, Zheng said before heading to Spain to attend the 27th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The IPCC is expected to launch the fourth and final volume of its "Climate Change 2007" assessment report for policymakers tomorrow in Valencia.
"If no improvement were made to the current farmland, production capacity could drop by up to 10 per cent by 2030, when the population will peak at 1.5 billion," Zheng said.
The country would have to produce another 100 million tons of grain for the added 200 million residents by then, but climate change would probably make a big dent in grain output, he said.
According to the National Climate Center, northern China - the primary producer of wheat and corn - is likely to experience a notable reduction in rainfall between 2010 and 2030, a looming threat to food and animal feed supply.
" Against the backdrop of global warming, China must revise its agricultural climatic zoning to better use climate resources, and minimize the detrimental effects," Zheng said.
For example, crops in some Central China regions could be planted and harvested twice thanks to increases in temperature; but crop varieties in some other regions will have to be modified to better adapt to climate change.
It's important to put into place an early warning system to cope with the impact of climate change on food security, he said.
Zheng revealed that the CMA will place a meteorological worker in every Chinese village in a few years.
"We'll continue to improve the monitoring and forecasting of extreme climatic events, and enhance international cooperation to reduce disasters induced by climate change."
On the IPCC meeting, Zheng said China has been tackling climate change seriously, being the first among the developing countries to prepare and implement a national climate change program in June.
In the 11th Five-Year Plan, China has set the goal of cutting carbon dioxide - the leading greenhouse trace gas - by 240 million tons by 2010.
Questions:
1. By how many degrees do Chinese scientists predict the average temperature will increase by 2050?
2. What does Zheng Guoguang say happens to crops when the climate gets warmer?
3. In the next few years what will the China Meteorological Administration do?
4. How many tons of carbon dioxide does China plan to cut by 2010?
Answers:
1. Two degrees.
2. Crops grow faster but yields decline.
3. Place a meteorological worker in every Chinese village.
4. 240 million tons.
（英語點津 Linda 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
