Blogs
Sea level
- Global warming has a direct impact on China's coastal areas as the rise in average global temperature accelerates the melting of ice caps and increasing sea levels rise.
- The "2007 Sea Level Monitoring Report," released by China's State Oceanic Administration, indicated that the average sea level along Chinese coastal areas has increased by 90 millimeters (mm) over the past 30 years.
- Sea level around Tianjin has risen by 196 mm, more than double the average increase in China.
- Rapid urbanization along China's coasts also exacerbates the threats from rising sea levels.
- Shanghai and Tianjin, for instance, show higher rates of sea level rise due to their high concentration of buildings and their over-extraction of groundwater, which decreases land load carrying capacity and accelerates land sinking.
Biodiversity
- As one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world, China is home to 17,300 species of plants and animals. This includes 667 vertebrates, unique geneses, ancient flora and fauna as well as rare animal species.
- For instance, species, such as giant pandas, golden monkeys and takins only exist in China's high mountain forests in the Southwest.
- Rapid industrialization, urbanization as well as logging, mining, and hunting, have led to degradation of the habitats of these species.
- While urbanization and pollution are major drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change also contributes to biodiversity loss by altering the structure of ecosystems. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that if the global average temperature rises by 1.5 - 2.5 degrees Celsius, around 20 to 30 percent of global species will face extinction.
Frances, Miranda and Anita
