China: global warming causing weather extremes

CHINA WATCH Just spotted an interesting article that quotes a senior exec from China’s meteorological department, in which he says the extreme weather being experienced in the country is due to global warming.

Such extremes are likely to get worse and more common in the future, said Song Lianchun, head of the China Meteorological Administration’s department of forecasting services and disaster mitigation.

“It should be said that one of the reasons for the weather extremes this year has been unusual atmospheric circulation bought about by global warming,” Song told a news conference carried live on the central government website.

“These kind of extremes will become more frequent, and more obvious. This has already been borne out by the facts,” he said. “I think the impact on our country will definitely be very large.”

Greenbang is trying to remember how long ago it was that the Bush administration was denying the same link? This in 2004:

The Bush administration has refused to allow climate experts to even participate in climate policy discussions, asserts Rosina Bierbaum, a former director of the White House science office. Rather than consult with its own scientific advisors when devising a strategy on climate change, the White House constructed a plan primarily from conversations with the National Economic Counsel.

And now this news just in from Reuters:

 U.S. President George W. Bush unveiled plans on Friday for global warming talks next month that will bring together the world’s biggest polluters to seek agreement on reducing greenhouse gases.

Under pressure for tougher action against climate change, Bush invited the European Union, the United Nations and 11 industrial and developing countries to the September 27-28 meeting in Washington to work toward setting a long-term goal by 2008 to cut emissions.

Bush was following through on his pledge in late May to convene a series of conferences with economic powers responsible for producing most of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.