China to double weather monitoring stations

Beijing (CNS) -- China now owns more than 34,000 meteorological monitoring stations, and will build about 30,000 more in remote areas and where meteorological disasters are frequent, Director Zheng Guoguang at the China Meteorological Administration told CNS on Sunday.

Commenting on this year's extreme temperatures around the world, which European media are referring to as the "approaching little ice age", Zheng holds the conservative view that regional climates are defined by phases that span 30-years, a more useful framework than abnormal conditions occurring during a short period of time.

Extreme weather is a multi-factor phenomenon, a member of the ongoing Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) commented, and global warming, as one of the obvious causes, speeds up temperature fluctuations and contributes to frequent anomalies.

Moreover, a more timely global alarm system is increasing public sensitivity to weather changes, which makes the global climate appear to be more variable than ever, Zheng pointed out.

He also urged international cooperation on building a platform to share weather monitoring data and coordinate the fight against potential natural disasters.