Yesterday, Beijing’s high temperature was 16 degrees Celsius. It was a record for the date since temperature was first recorded in China in 1840. Global warming is sneaking up on us. The Chinese government has announced plans to deal with climate change, according to China Daily.

China is preparing its first plan to battle climate change, a senior policy adviser said, stressing rising alarm about global warming in the country.

Zou Ji, a climate policy expert at the People’s University of China in Beijing, said the national program would probably set broad goals for emissions and coping with changing weather patterns.

It is likely to be released this year after at least two years of preparation and bureaucratic bargaining, he said.

“All this shows that the Chinese government is paying more and more attention to this issue,” he said. “When it’s approved and issued it will be China’s first official, comprehensive document on climate change.”