About 140 experts and scholars from around the world have gathered in Beijing to discuss climate issues at the first International School on Climate System and Climate Change. The 10-day session opened Monday at the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

The Chinese government, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group I (IPCC WGI), State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and National Natural Science Foundation of China are jointly sponsoring the school to promote education on global warming and related issues.

From August 23 to September 1, top meteorologists and other scientists will deliver lectures and lead discussions on various aspects of the problem. They include IPCC WGI Vice Chairman Dr. Jean Jouzel, from France; Dr. Ulrich Cubasch of the Meteorological Institute, Free University Berlin; Dr. Robert Delmas, director of France's Laboratory of Environmental Glaciology and Geophysics; Dr. In-Sik Kang, director of Seoul National University's Climate Environment System Research Center; and Dr. Akio Kitoh, director of the Climate Research Division, Japan Meteorological Agency.

Global warming of the past century has already had a serious impact on the ecosystems of China. The country has seen rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, melting permafrost and species endangerment, said CMA Director Qin Dahe at the opening ceremony.
  
Harvests in China are forecast to shrink 5 to 10 percent by 2030 as a result of global warming. The annual water deficit from 2010 to 2030 in western China is expected to climb to 20 billion cubic meters, according to Qin.

Global warming will also affect human health, communities and daily life. The population affected by infectious diseases will increase; and torrential rain, floods and rising sea levels will endanger the inhabitants of low-lying and coastal areas.

(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2004)