China reports warmest autumn in decades

BEIJING, Dec 04 (AFP): China reported its warmest autumn since records began decades ago, its National Climate Centre announced on Wednesday.

China is the leading emitter of the greenhouse gas emissions scientists say are driving global climate change and making extreme weather events more frequent.

Beijing has pledged to bring planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions to a peak by 2030 and to net zero by 2060.

"During this year's autumn season (Sept 1 to Nov 30), the national average temperature was 11.8 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees higher than the average year, the highest ever since 1961," the centre announced on its social media account.

Most regions experienced temperatures 1 to 2 degrees Celsius above average, while parts of central, east, southwest and northwest China experienced average temperatures that were 2 to 4 degrees Celsius higher during the period compared to previous years, the centre added.