Jenny Chu
Reducing (Your) Carbon Footprint 101 - Simple steps to help prevent climate change
The Earth has warmed by an average of 0.56 degrees Celsius over the past 100 years, and many of the world’s leading climate scientists think people’s actions are making the planet warmer. China, with its large population and fragile environment, stands to be one of the biggest victims of climate change. Released in 2006, China’s first Climate Change Report predicts the country’s annual average temperature will rise by as much as 3.3 degrees Celsius by 2050, and by 2100 it could soar by as much as six degrees Celsius.
Since the 1950s, glaciers in northwest China have melted at a rate of seven percent annually, putting the quality and supply of drinking water for millions of Chinese at risk. Studies also suggest that a two degree Celsius increase in mean air temperature in southern China could decrease rain-fed rice yield by five to 12 percent, possibly destabilizing the country’s main food source.
