DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
AND CLIMATE CHANGE News Release (2008/8) issued by COI News
Distribution Service. 31 October 2008
Climate change
will present a major challenge to China in feeding its growing
population by the middle of the century. This is a key message
from a three-year bilateral project between the UK and China.
Minister Joan Ruddock of the UK's Department of Energy and
Climate Change said:
"The impacts of climate change will be felt across the globe
and will hit many developing countries the hardest.
"This study shows the potentially serious impacts climate
change will have on food production. It underlines just how urgent
it is for all countries to join the fight to tackle dangerous
climate change by reducing emissions and securing a global deal in
Copenhagen in 2009. It also emphasises just how vital it is for
all countries to develop regionally specific strategies that will
help communities and countries adapt to the inevitable impacts of
climate change.
"The UK has worked hard with China experts and officials to
address these issues and will continue to carry out joint research
on adaptation to climate change."
The project has examined how one area of China, Ningxia Hui
Autonomous region, could adapt agricultural techniques to deal
with the impact of climate change. Vulnerable farmers are already
having to develop new methods to adapt to these long-term changes
in the weather, such as reducing water loss by covering the soil
with stones, and planting new crop varieties.
The study found that the three main climate risks for Ningxia are
droughts and other extreme weather events, increasing temperatures
leading to drier soils, and shifts in the flow regime of the
Yellow River (the main water source).
The report also predicts that as a result of climate change
alone, China is likely to see a reduction in yields of key crops
(wheat, maize, and rice) from the 2020s. As the population
increases, availability of staple foods may fall below the
critical level necessary for people's basic needs. However,
it also notes that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the air,
which helps plants to grow and, improvements in farming techniques
may help boost yields but that whether this can significantly
reduce the effects of climate change is very uncertain.
Notes for Editors
1. The key findings and approaches for the project are summarised
in a series of pamphlets based on the full technical reports. Both
the summaries and reports can be found at http://www.china-climate-adapt.org
2. This project has been undertaken as part of a partnership
between the UK and Chinese governments on climate change. Both
parties are considering undertaking further work together on
climate change risks and adaptation.
3. The Impact of Climate Change on Chinese Agriculture Project
built on earlier work from Phase 1 of the project, to assess the
impacts of climate change on Chinese agriculture, by also taking
into account socio-economic changes and water availability. The
project addressed the impact of climate change on a regional
basis. It engaged with a range of stakeholders and local farmers
to assess the impact of climate change on rural livelihoods, and
to develop the first regional adaptation framework in China, for
the northern province of Ningxia
4. As a result of this project, the Ningxia Climate Change
Response Office was set up in early 2008 to promote adaptation and
mitigation programmes.
5. This project was funded by the Department of Energy and
Climate Change (DECC), the Department for International
Development (DFID) and conducted in partnership with China's
Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). The UK Government
provided £827,000 for Phase II of this project.
6. The project team comprised the Institute of Environment and
Sustainable Development in Agriculture of the Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, AEA Group, who managed the project and
provided technical input, and Dr. Declan Conway of the University
of East Anglia as Scientific Advisor.
Department of Energy and Climate Change
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