The Climate Change, Water Crisis and Forest Ecosystem Services in Beijing, China

Abstract

Although the Earth’s climate changes continually, as a result of natural processes, there is now a strong scientific consensus that global warming is occurring, that it is largely driven by greenhouse gas emissions due to human activity. The linear warming trend over the last 50 years is nearly twice that for the last 100 years, with average global surface temperature rising by 0.74 0C between 1906 and 2005 (IPCC, 2007). Climate change and its impact on human survival have been today’s major challenge and key topics of discussion globally (Oli et al., 2008). The major observed evidence showed that, the trend of climate change in China was consistent with that of global climate change. As a developing country of responsibility, China attaches great importance to the issue of climate change, and has taken a series of policies and measures to mitigate and adapt climate change effects (NDRC, 2007). Beijing, the capital of China, is characterized by a warm temperate continental monsoon climate. In the context of global warming, the observed changes related to climate in Beijing include an increase in annual average temperatures, possible reductions in average rainfall and runoff, and more heat waves and less frost (Wang, 2008). Meanwhile, as a consequence of rapid population growth and economic development, Beijing is facing a water crisis, with rapid deterioration of water quality, serious water shortages, and reduced availability of groundwater. Therefore, it is noticeable that Beijing’s actions should focus not on climate changes in isolation but on interactions between climate change and other stresses on the city growth and development. This chapter draws together evidences from a series of researches on climate change, water crisis and forest ecosystem services in Beijing, and provides a reference point for international research institutions, government agencies and other organizations to respond to these issues. The rest of the chapter is organized as follows. Firstly, the evidences for climate changes in Beijing, including temperature, precipitation, heat island effect and extreme weather events, are introduced. Secondly, the water resource situation and water scarcity risk in Beijing are analyzed. Finally, Beijing’s forests and their services in the mitigation and adaptation to climate change are explored. I hope this chapter can provide some insights in the importance of urban forest under future climate change, and will help the global audience with similar issues.