Japan will set up a climate change monitoring and assessment network in cooperation with Asian neighbours to study how global warming affects developing countries in the region, a report said Monday.
The network, to be established in the year to March 2007, is part of the Japanese initiative on climate change which Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced at the Group of Eight summit in July, Kyodo News reported.
Kyodo, quoting environment ministry officials, said the network would use satellites and other devices to observe temperature changes and rises in sea levels caused by global warming.
The network will also enable participating countries to share data and research results.
No official was immediately available to confirm the report.
Developing countries are likely to be the first to face serious problems from global warming, such as a decrease in food production and increase in flood disasters caused by rising sea levels.
In the present situation, however, the observation system and the number of researchers in developing countries are insufficient, Kyodo quoted the officials as saying.
