Weather woes underscore dire need to adapt to climate change

The wide-ranging impact of the drought affecting southern parts of the country for the past three months has demonstrated China's urgent need to boost efforts to adapt to and take action against climate change, experts said.

The searing summer heat wave that started on June 13 in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was the most fierce and prolonged since China established comprehensive meteorological records in 1961.

The amount of rainfall in the region has been the lowest since records began, dropping 48.2 percent compared to average rainfall during the same period in previous years.