Editing China (section)

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of China}}
{{Further|Great Green Wall (China)}}

[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map CHN present.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen-Geiger climate classification]] map for mainland China<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Beck|first1=Hylke E.|last2=Zimmermann|first2=Niklaus E.|last3=McVicar|first3=Tim R.|last4=Vergopolan|first4=Noemi|last5=Berg|first5=Alexis|author6-link=Eric Franklin Wood|last6=Wood|first6=Eric F.|title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution|journal=Scientific Data|date=30 October 2018|volume=5|page=180214|doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|pmid=30375988|pmc=6207062|bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B}}</ref>]]
China's climate is mainly dominated by [[dry season]]s and wet [[monsoons]], which lead to pronounced temperature differences between winter and summer. In the winter, northern winds coming from high-latitude areas are cold and dry; in summer, southern winds from coastal areas at lower latitudes are warm and moist.<ref>{{cite book|title=Regional Climate Studies of China|date=2008|publisher=Springer|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=SEO_RyNDJ0gC&pg=PA1 1]|isbn=978-3-5407-9242-0}}</ref>

A major environmental issue in China is the continued [[desertification|expansion of its deserts]], particularly the Gobi Desert.<ref>{{cite news |date=17 April 2006 |title=Beijing hit by eighth sandstorm |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4915690.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101023529/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4915690.stm |archive-date=1 January 2009 |access-date=21 January 2020 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Although barrier tree lines planted since the 1970s have reduced the frequency of [[sandstorms]], prolonged drought and poor agricultural practices have resulted in [[Asian dust|dust storms]] plaguing northern China each spring, which then spread to other parts of East Asia, including Japan and Korea. Water quality, [[erosion]], and [[Pollution in China|pollution control]] have become important issues in China's relations with other countries. Melting [[glaciers]] in the Himalayas could potentially lead to [[water shortage]]s for hundreds of millions of people.<ref name="msnbc">{{cite news |last=Reilly |first=Michael |date=24 November 2008 |title=Himalaya glaciers melting much faster |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27894721 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023184210/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/27894721/ |archive-date=23 October 2020 |access-date=21 September 2011 |work=[[NBC News]] |publisher=}}</ref> According to academics, in order to limit [[climate change in China]] to {{cvt|1.5|C-change}} electricity generation from [[coal in China]] without [[Carbon capture and storage|carbon capture]] must be phased out by 2045.<ref>{{cite report|date=December 2020|title=China's New Growth Pathway: From the 14th Five-Year Plan to Carbon Neutrality|url=https://www.efchina.org/Attachments/Report/report-lceg-20201210/Full-Report_Synthesis-Report-2020-on-Chinas-Carbon-Neutrality_EN.pdf|page=24|publisher=Energy Foundation China|access-date=16 December 2020|archive-date=16 April 2021|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416100821/https://www.efchina.org/Attachments/Report/report-lceg-20201210/Full-Report_Synthesis-Report-2020-on-Chinas-Carbon-Neutrality_EN.pdf}}</ref> With current policies, the GHG emissions of China will probably peak in 2025, and by 2030 they will return to 2022 levels. However, such pathway still leads to three-degree temperature rise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lui |first1=Swithin |title=Guest post: Why China is set to significantly overachieve its 2030 climate goals |url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-china-is-set-to-significantly-overachieve-its-2030-climate-goals |website=Carbon Brief |date=19 May 2022 |access-date=24 May 2022 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523114439/https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-china-is-set-to-significantly-overachieve-its-2030-climate-goals |url-status=live}}</ref>

Official government statistics about Chinese agricultural productivity are considered unreliable, due to exaggeration of production at subsidiary government levels.<ref>Chow, Gregory (2006) Are Chinese Official Statistics Reliable? CESifo Economic Studies 52. 396–414. 10.1093/cesifo/ifl003.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Liu G, Wang X, Baiocchi G, Casazza M, Meng F, Cai Y, Hao Y, Wu F, Yang Z |date=October 2020 |title=On the accuracy of official Chinese crop production data: Evidence from biophysical indexes of net primary production |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]] |volume=117|issue=41|pages=25434–25444 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1919850117|pmc=7568317|pmid=32978301  |bibcode=2020PNAS..11725434L |doi-access=free}}</ref> Much of China has a climate very suitable for agriculture and the country has been the world's largest producer of rice, wheat, tomatoes, eggplant, grapes, watermelon, spinach, and many other crops.<ref>{{cite web|title=Countries by commodity|website=[[FAOSTAT]]|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/countries_by_commodity|access-date=16 January 2020|archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629173611/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/countries_by_commodity|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, 12 percent of global permanent meadows and pastures belonged to China, as well as 8% of global cropland.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |title=World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023 |place=Rome |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en |access-date=13 December 2023 |date=2023 |language=en |doi=10.4060/cc8166en |isbn=978-9-2513-8262-2 |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215161116/https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en |url-status=live}}</ref>