CRI听力:IPCC is Due to Issue Its Fifth Assessment Report

It has taken more than 800 scientists from 70 countries to complete the assessment report in 6 years.

Zheng Guoguang, director of the China Meteorological Administration, takes us through the conclusions of the report.

"First, more observations have confirmed the fact of global warming. Second, causal relationship between human activities and global warming has been confirmed. Third, climate change has had a negative impact on ecosystems and human society. Fourth, global warming will be lasting. And fifth, future warming represents a risk to the economic development of humanity."

The report also says that if we don't reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures will probably rise by 4 degrees compared with what they were at the start of the industrial revolution.

Lin Erda, one of the Chinese researchers who put together the report, says they've found that temperature change has influenced multiple sectors, including water resources, agriculture and human health.

"Storm surges have created risks to people's livelihoods in small island nations. Inland flooding has also influenced big cities. Droughts and floods are posing threats to food security, drinking water and rural life."

Noting the threat of climate change, the Chinese government is moving to try to transform its energy consumption in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions.

Zheng Guoguang from the Meteorological Administration says one of the biggest challenges here in China is convincing local governments to reduce their use of fossil fuels.

"First, we should strengthen risk management and improve the slowdown of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, we should take action to adjust our own lifestyles. Secondly, we need to change our assessment systems when it comes to large regional projects which may affect the climate. Third, we need to tackle greenhouse gas emissions at a national level."

All the experts we talked to also agreed that tackling climate change has to be a global initiative.

For CRI, this is Alexander Acoutt.