China may face severe natural disasters and water shortages soon! And, none other than the global warming is to be blamed for it! Irrespective of its seeking to tame energy consumption, global warming is threatening to drive down the country’s food output, the Chinese government fears.

The effects of the change in global climate on China will worsen the drought in northern China and will increase ‘extreme weather events!’ These effects will be discussed in a forthcoming official assessment, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Web site.

As the Science Times newspaper reports, Blunt about the risks for China’s food production, a deputy director of the National Climate Centre, Luo Yong said,

The most direct impact of climate change will be on China’s grain production. Climate change will bring intensified pressure on our country’s agriculture and grain production.

Since, scientists have been uncertain about the -
• Rising global temperatures’ effects on China’s farming,

• Unsure whether greater average rainfall will outweigh the costs of both higher temperatures and more frequent natural disasters.

The official report will surely kick up debates on -
• whether China can balance its ambitious goals for economic growth to combat the rising greenhouse gas emissions from industry and cars, and

• how can China balance its ambitious economic goals with these environmental threats.