China pointed a finger at the West, saying industrialized nations bear the "unshirkable responsibility" for causing global warming, the Financial Times reported. Foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said "Climate change has been caused by the long-term historic emissions of developed countries and their high per-capita emissions". China is the world's second-largest carbon emitter after the US, and data show that the country's 2006 expansion in power-generating capacity was equivalent to the entire energy production of the UK and Thailand combined. But the government said on Tuesday that it needs time to introduce the advanced environmental technology that is currently available to developed countries. There have been signs that Beijing is taking a more active role in curbing emissions, after an inquiry discovered that warming could worsen water shortages and hurt agriculture. Meanwhile, many parts of China have seen temperatures reach hundered-year highs in January and February, and Shaanxi province is in the midst of a severe drought, with rainfall 90% below average.