China's top climatologist stays cool

A 2C rise in global temperatures will not necessarily result in the calamity predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), China's most senior climatologist has told the Guardian, the British newspaper.

While the IPCC warns a 2C rise substantially increases the risks of floods, drought and storms, the report quotes the Chinese official,

Xiao Ziniu, the director general of the Beijing Climate Centre, said "it was too early to determine the level of risk posed by global warming."

"There is no agreed conclusion about how much change is dangerous," Xiao said. "Whether the climate turns warmer or cooler, there are both positive and negative effects. We are not focusing on what will happen with a one degree or two degree increase, we are looking at what level will be a danger to the environment. In Chinese history, there have been many periods warmer than today."

Pls read the complete report filed by Jonathan Watts, The Guardian newspaper's Asia Environment Correspondent.