Posted on July 16, 2007 in Latest News
According to The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China has overtaken the United States in carbon dioxide emissions by about 7.5 percent in 2006. Reason being voracious coal consumption and increased cement production.
Global Warming has affected two of China’s biggest rivers-the Yangtze and Yellow river. The wetlands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in western China that feed them have dried up. The result being that less water flows through these rivers as compared to 40 years ago.
Over the past four decades wetlands on the plateau have shrunk more than 10 percent. The wetlands at the origin of the Yangtze have suffered the most, contracting by 29 percent. These changes were made out through aerial photos and satellite images.
“The shrinking of the wetland on the plateau is closely connected with global warming” says researcher Wang Xugen.
What is surprising is that despite an increase in the amount of rain in the region there is decrease in water flow.
“The increased rainfall didn’t lead to more water flow in the rivers because the evaporation was so fast as a result of global warming,” says Li Shijie, a researcher with the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology.
In order to combat the effect of Global warming conservation measures are been taken by the country’s officials. Forest conservation and population control are few tactics taken, in order to reduce the effects of increasing Global Warming.
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