China's action plan on climate change, which was due to be released on Monday, has been put on indefinite hold, the Financial Times reported. No explanation was given for the move. The plan was set to become China's first considered response to widespread international concern about the environmental cost of the country's rapid growth. It was thought that it might lead to Chinese participation in the drawing up of a post-Kyoto international accord. Apparently the government was ready to propose cutting emissions of greenhouse gases per unit of economic output by 40% between 2000 and 2020. Although responsible for only a small portion of greenhouse gases that have accumulated so far, the International Energy Agency believes China could become the world's largest emitter of the gases as early as this year. According to a report released by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), global warming could bring longer droughts and reduced farm productivity due to the melting of glaciers that supply major rivers. In some areas, rainfall will increase, resulting in deaths and heavy economic losses in southern China, the CMA said.
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