Intro: Last year, China released its new Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for 2035. Below is an excerpt from this document, click here to read full version of this strategy
A preliminary policy system for climate change adaptation has been established. In 2013, the PRC issued the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which provided strategic guidance for all departments and local governments to advance climate change adaptation and promote its active implementation in key sectors and regions. “China’s National Plan on Climate Change (2014–2020)”, which was issued in 2014, proposed the principle of simultaneously promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation to further boost strengthened actions in key sectors and regions. In 2016, action plans for climate change adaptation in cities, forestry and other sectors were successively released.Relevant policy documents on meteorology, agriculture, water conservancy, oceanography, infrastructure, urban and rural construction, and ecological environment protection were also incorporated in both conceptual and practical terms. Relevant departments have issued climate feasibility demonstration specifications and technical guidelines in consideration of climate change factors when revising technical standards and specifications in such sectors as water conservancy, construction, and roads and waterways.
Climate monitoring and early warning systems have been continuously improved. A comprehensive meteorological observation system comprising on-the-ground automatic meteorological stations, radars, and meteorological satellites has been built. A long-time monitor database of disasters involving regional droughts, rainstorms, high temperatures, sand and dust storms, typhoons, extreme snowfalls, low/freezing temperatures, and other meteorological disasters has been established. The construction of a risk survey database is underway. The work of designating areas that are subject to meteorological disasters and risks has been completed. Monitoring networks in forests, waterways, the ocean, the environment in general, and health, and other sectors, are undergoing continuous improvement. China’s offshore and South China Sea observation, island and nearshore hydrometeorological monitoring for the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea observation networks have been established. A geological-disaster monitoring, earlywarning and prediction system has been established and measurement and prevention systems at village, township, and county levels has been improved countrywide. Meteorological early warning of geological disasters has been carried out, preliminarily covering all medium- and high-risk areas that are prone to geological disasters.
Climate adaptability in key areas has been effectively improved. Water-resources regulation, storage and allocation projects in basin areas—for example, the South–North Water Diversion Project—have been implemented to optimize water-resources allocation and perfect the ability to regulate and control water resources. We have continued to drive the backbones of engineering projects for river governance and improved flood control and disaster reduction systems. We have actively promoted green agriculture and smart climate agriculture to improve farmland infrastructure, significantly enhancing the ability of farmlands to prevent, resist and mitigate disasters. Major projects for protection and restoration of important ecosystems are underway, basically curbing ecological deterioration, improving the overall stability of the natural ecosystem, and building a preliminary framework for a national ecological security barrier. By the end of 2020, 53.3 million hectares of high-standard farmland was established with an effective utilization coefficient of farmland irrigation water reaching 0.565, and forest coverage rate reaching 23.04%. The comprehensive vegetation coverage of grassland has reached 56.1%, andthe wetland protection rate has reached 52%.
Solid progress has been made in climate change adaptation pilot and demonstration programs. After the “Notice on Carrying out Pilot Work for the Construction of Climate Adaptive Cities” was issued, 28 cities (districts and counties) were selected nationwide to undertake the pilot work of building climate adaptive cities to explore modes of constructing and managing urban climate change adaptation according to actual situations, significantly improving urban climate change adaptation and disaster prevention and relief. Thirty cities were selected to carry out sponge city pilots, forming the basis of experience that can be replicated and rolled out, as systematic and citywide promotion of sponge city construction demonstration work got underway. The project was implemented in 1,116 areas that are very prone to waterlogging—in 60 cities with serious waterlogging disasters. The PRC is also engaged in building national water-saving cities, ecological
garden cities and ecological civilization construction demonstration areas to achieve greater synergy with adaptation work.
Awareness of the need for climate change adaptation continues to make headway. Climate change impact analysis and risk assessment were promoted in key cities, and awareness of the need for climate change adaptation was enhanced. The PRC has been carrying out training, advocacy, and educational activities via multiple channels and in various fields via opportunities such as World Meteorological Day, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day, World Water Day, China Water Week, Tree Planting Day, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, and International Day for Biodiversity and World Environment Day. We have actively launched the program “United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, China in Action” and systematically publicized biodiversity protection and climate change adaptation based on nature reserves, zoos, botanical gardens and forest parks. Comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction publicity and educational activities have taken place in schools and communities, thus boosting engagement of society as a whole.
International cooperation on climate change adaptation keeps deepening. The PRC is an active and constructive participant in the negotiations on the performance of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the preparation for all the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to promote equal attention to mitigation and adaptation by the international community, and to strengthen global adaptation actions. Together with other nations, we jointly inaugurated - 7 - the Global Commission on Adaptation to promote large-scale climate adaptation actions and partnerships, and strengthen international cooperation on adaptation. In this process, we have told the PRC’s climate change adaptation stories through publicizing and promoting our experience. As a major responsible country, China has also made vigorous efforts to promote South–South cooperation in climate change adaptation—for example, providing microsatellites and meteorological mobile stations to other developing countries such as Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Uruguay to improve their climate adaptability.
