According to recent finding by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highland glaciers in China are shrinking each year by an amount equivalent to all the water in the Yellow River.

It estimates that 7 percent of the country's glaciers are vanishing annually. Glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet highlands that feed the mighty Yangtze River could shrink by two-thirds by the end of this century, impacting an estimated 300 million people who depend on water from glaciers for their survival.

"Climate change has emerged as one of the most important issues facing the global community in the 21st century. It threatens to seriously undermine future development efforts, poverty reduction and achieving the Millennium Development Goals" said Khalid Malik, UN resident coordinator in China. "A clean environment is a basic right, and we must all do our part to protect it. The Global Compact Summit provides an important platform to raise awareness on climate change at the individual, company, community, country and international level."

UNDP China is currently promoting Public-Private Partnerships to mobilize the private sector and foster its contribution to development, in particular to address climate change.