China logs hottest August in more than six decades

China is the leading emitter of the greenhouse gas emissions scientists say are driving global climate change and making extreme weather events more frequent. Beijing has pledged to bring planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions to a peak by 2030 and to net zero by 2060. And on Thursday, the China Meteorological Administration said in a statement that: "China experienced prolonged and extreme high temperatures" in August. "The national average temperature was the highest for the same period since 1961," it added.