According to the current environmental and climate frame, seven environmental NGOs have strongly stressed the importance for China to improve efforts in order to adapt to climate change. According to the latest alarming predictions on global warming impact from an international panel of scientists, the NGOs have highlighted that it is fundamental to include stronger efforts in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, that is the country’s development project for 2016-2020. Moreover, these NGOs have called for a stringent climate change legislation. These proposals are supported by the Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change’s report that has outlined the extent of the damage expected from climate change, including extreme weather, infectious disease and food insecurity. Additionally, China’s 12th Five-Year Plan will finish at the end of 2015. As such, next year will represent a turning point in the drafting of the next program for China’s industrial, economic and social development. These NGOs, including international groups such as WWF and Greenpeace, have strongly complained about the current climate situation. The climate adaptation is still inadequate, unable to meet the targets to reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions. Despite recent low-carbon development programs and carbon markets, and heavy investment in energy saving and new industrial technology, the work on adaptation must be increased. Data are alarming. Since the 1990s, extreme weather has caused the death of an average of 2,000 people per year in China, with annual economic losses of 200 billion yuan. The climate change had an increasing impact on ecosystems, water resources, coastal economies and food security. In addition to this, China’s urbanization led to various urgent matters and challenges. According to the NGOs, China’s plan for adaptation and its fight to climate change is insufficient. The government has to tackle the impact of climate change with concrete measures, guidance on adoption of key technologies and efforts to link relevant government departments. The problems are increased by a public spending on adaptation that is lower than the mitigation investment. Thus, private companies and capital markets have little interest to invest in this sector due to the lack of short-term economic benefit. The NGOs have explained the importance of adaptation measures included in regional and industrial development plans. The strategy proposed by the NGOs includes plans to guarantee food supplies to poor rural areas where harvests are shrinking. Moreover, they also suggested a combined industrial and ecological planning for environmentally vulnerable areas, and adequate plans to face the climate impact and possible disasters, improving risk management, and better disaster awareness and adaptation capabilities. The gLAWcal Team Wednesday, 9 April 2014 (Source: Chinadialogue)