China must cut greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming, even while the world's fourth largest economy tries to maintain its rapid economic growth, a senior official said.

Luo Yong, vice director of the National Climate Center, told a press conference yesterday that "if we take no measures against global warming, China's planting industry will face a five to 10 percent drop in output by 2030, with the production of wheat, rice and corn on the decline."

Luo's hypothesis suggests that the effects of global warming could make it increasingly difficult for the world's most populous nation to feed itself.

The press conference was held on the heels of a report by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warned that the impact of global warming could be "abrupt or irreversible" and no country would be spared - the starkest warning yet by the Nobel-winning group.

"Further global warming will bring about more extreme incidents, like floods and droughts, destabilizing China's agricultural production," said Luo. "Higher temperature will push up costs in irrigation, pesticides and fertilizers."

"The earlier we take action, the smaller our losses will be," Luo added.

Luo's remarks were echoed by Zheng Guoguang, director of the China Meteorological Administration, who said 28 Chinese experts took part in compiling the UN report.

On the previous day, climate change and environmental issues took center stage in Premier Wen Jiabao's address at the 3rd East Asia Summit in Singapore. The Chinese government takes environmental protection as a basic state policy, said Wen.

"China is a responsible country, willing to make sincere efforts to fulfill its international obligations to protect the global climate," said Zheng.

As a developing country, China is not obligated to meet targets set by the Kyoto Protocol, under which 36 industrial nations must cut emissions by at least five percent below their 1990 levels during the period 2008-2012.

But the Chinese government has realized it must do its part, since the country has become one of the two biggest carbon dioxide emitters, along with the United States.

China aims to cut energy consumption for every 10,000 yuan (US$1,298) of GDP by 20 percent by 2010, with emissions to drop 10 percent.

With the Olympics next year, Beijing is leading the way, with 140 polluting enterprises shut down this year alone and millions spent reducing emissions.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2007)