Millions of acres threatened by rats
Tue May 15, 5:51 AM ET
BEIJING - Officials blame a warm winter for a boom in the rat population in part of western China, state media reported Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Xinhua News Agency said the rats were threatening an estimated 5 million acres of pastureland in Altay, about 20 percent of the total in northern Xinjiang.
The average temperature in Xinjiang during the past winter was 3.6 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal, and snow in the remote mountains in Altay shrank by at least one foot, Xinhua said.
A report this month from a United Nations network of climate change experts said the world has about eight years to keep global temperatures from spiking to disastrous levels.
The risks of global climate change include rising sea-levels, droughts, famine, floods, the spread of disease, loss of species, increased conflict, and more extreme weather.
Millions of acres threatened by rats
