2015 to 2023 'warmest 9 years' in history of China, says report

The 2024 edition of China's "Annual Report on Actions to Address Climate Change" was released Friday in Beijing.

According to the report, the period from 2015 to 2023 marks the warmest nine years in recorded meteorological history. Between the years 1980 and 2023, the number of natural disasters globally grew each year.

In China, the report stated that the first 11 months of 2024 witnessed the country's third-highest precipitation levels in history, with frequent and heavy rainfall affecting both northern and southern regions. The country also experienced widespread extreme temperatures and frequent typhoons in the period, particularly during the autumn.

The report urged countries to strengthen cooperation as the challenges posed by climate change become increasingly severe.

The report noted some positive changes in the past year in China. It found the country making "significant progress" in sectors like renewable energy, electric vehicles, green buildings and others. The report also found mechanisms such as carbon emissions trading markets meaningful in promoting carbon reduction. The report noted artificial intelligence has been applied to relevant fields with "relatively good results," also anticipating AI to play a crucial role in coping with climate change.

Released by the Joint Laboratory of Climate Change Economics and Simulation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and the Social Sciences Academic Press on Friday, the annual publication is jointly compiled by experts of CASS and CMA together with frontline scholars in China in the fields related to climate change. It's the 16th such report.