BEIJING, Feb. 7 -- The temperature in Beijing broke a 161-year record on Monday. Not alone, most of the country has so far experienced unusually warm weather this winter. So did many other parts of the world.

    At a press conference yesterday, Qin Dahe, head of the China Meteorological Administration, attributed the abnormal temperatures to global warming. He also named global warming as the culprit for the severest drought in 50 years in eastern Sichuan Province and Chongqing and for the lowest water level in several decades in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

    Global warming is no longer just a phrase in papers and books. The reality is that we are facing droughts and seeing the water level in our longest river drop too low for ships to navigate.

    The direct economic losses caused by meteorological disasters total up to 300 billion yuan (39 billion U.S. dollars) each year, equal to as much as 5 percent of the country's gross domestic product. In fact, global warming is believed to either cause or increase the effects of these disasters.

    The impact of global warming on our lives should bring home the message that nature's retribution for what we humans have done is borderless. And it is high time that we human beings, regardless of nationality, step in with bold, concerted efforts to stop the worsening of global warming.

    The earlier and greater the efforts, the more hope we have for a better future. Any hesitation or inactivity by any country will have a negative impact on other countries' efforts.

    That is why the Chinese government set the goal of a 20 percent decrease in the consumption of energy in its 11th Five-Year-Plan period (2006-10). At the same time, great efforts are being made to develop clean energy such as solar and wind power. Hopefully, clean energy will eventually allow for major decreases in the burning of fossil fuel part of reducing greenhouse gas emission.

    We humans are facing the dilemma of wanting development despite global warming. But we must see the negative effect our activities have on the earth.

    (Source: China Daily)