While noting that the impacts of extreme heat are shared globally which requires collective actions and joint efforts from all parties, an official from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) commended China's leading role in addressing the natural hazard.

In a recent interview with th China Media Group (CMG), Kaveh Zahedi, director of the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, said that extreme heat events are happening more and more frequently, and are taking a toll on agricultural systems and food production around the world.

"As global warming accelerates, we're seeing extreme heat becoming more intense, more frequent and often more prolonged, and that obviously has an impact on agriculture and food systems. Actually, it's in the Northern Hemisphere, the mid-latitudes. Since the 1980s, you've seen extreme heat events increase by over sixfold," he said.

The latest monthly Global Seasonal Climate Update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) signals a clear shift in the Equatorial Pacific: sea-surface temperatures are rising rapidly, pointing to a likely return of El Nino conditions as early as May-July 2026.

Forecasts indicate there is a "nearly global dominance of above-normal land surface temperatures" in the upcoming three-month period.

Zahedi said that addressing the challenges of extreme heat requires collective actions and joint efforts from all sides.

He said China, as one of the world's largest agricultural producers, is playing a leading role in mitigating the impact of extreme heat on agriculture.

"And I think on all three fronts, you see China playing a leadership role. When it comes to early warning, I know that there is the crop watch system in China, a way of being able to forecast what is happening and to get that information into the hands of the farmers -- the droughts that are coming, the floods that are coming and so on. China is also fully aware of the importance of genetic diversity -- of crop genetic diversity. Last but not least is reducing emissions. And with China's move especially towards renewable energy -- this ultimately is not an either-or, we have to do all at the same time. But reducing emissions is going to be a critical part of the equation, and, of course, you know that China is playing its part," he said.