Climate change has been the subject of debates for several years among nations. Some countries started plans to countermeasure the destructive effects of climate change, while others have yet to see what can be completely done on their part.
The very few remain unmoved, not believing there is such a thing as climate change at all.
The State Oceanic Administration of the Peoples Republic of China stated [in Chinese] that rising sea levels and storm waves took a toll on its nation, considered the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, leaving 121 people dead in 2013 and losing 16.3 billion yuan or $2.6 billion. It added that climate change caused the storm waves and rising sea levels in China.
Scientists all over the world already identified that greenhouse gases are the driving force of climate change.
Hit the hardest was the Southern Guangdong province, with damages amounting to 7.4 billion yuan, the report also said. Of the entire destruction, 94 percent was due to storm waves.
Since 1980, China's average sea levels rose to 2.9 millimeters yearly, said to be faster than worldwide sea level rises, the SOA said. Even coastal zones' temperatures in the said country went up by 0.34 degrees Celsius per decade, as well as sea surface temperatures are now up by 0.18 degrees, also since 1980.
"Sea temperature, air temperature, air pressure and monsoons are the main causes of the irregular sea-level changes," the SOA also pointed out.
It explained, too, that climate change-linked rising, warmer seas bring about several weather and environmental issues, such as flooding in coastal areas; contribute further to coastal erosion; salinate farmland; and lead to more frequent typhoons and storms.
To protect the country from the threats of rising seas, especially to its megacities such as Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou, China intends to create policies on the matter. It also plans to solidify walls in areas deemed vulnerable, transform some coastal farmland and construct submerged breakwater. It also plans to cut emissions of greenhouse gases per unit of GDP to 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.
China, however, is not the only country in Asia beset by large-scale disasters. Countries such as the Philippines and Japan had their share, too. Latest of which is the supertyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines that caused billions-worth of damages, thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands more left hungry and homeless even many weeks after.
Even Western countries have strange and intense cold or winter seasons recorded recently as well. However, a recent poll reveals that some Americans don't seem to care about climate change.
