China has set up a think tank on climate change adding to its efforts to brace for potential extreme weather, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

 

Qin Dahe, director of the administration, said the think tank is designed to offer advice and devise strategies and regulations to tackle climate change. The think tank is to be headed by Sun Honglie from Chinese Academy of Sciences. Qin said China is following other countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada which have set up similar think tanks and have put climate change on their lists of national security threats.

 

The 12 members of the think tank are from 11 government agencies and research institutes including the State Environmental Protection Administration, the National Development and Reform Committee, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

 

Qin said the inter-agency committee will help the nation reduce the death toll and property loss from extreme weather caused by climate change.

 

Extreme weather in China, including typhoons, floods and droughts claimed 2,704 lives and inflicted economic losses of 212 billion yuan last year.

 

Dong Wenjie, director of the administration's climate center, earlier predicted extreme weather in 2007 could be worse than normal. More frequent typhoons, floods, storms, droughts and heat waves are possible, he said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2007)