Rising seas besieging China's economically vital coastal zones. Mighty feats of infrastructure, like the Three Gorges Dam and railway in Tibet, strained by turbulent rainfall and the melting of frozen earth. And on the Himalayan frontiers, the risk in future decades of international conflict over dwindling water supplies as glaciers retreat.These and other somber scenarios are laid out in the Chinese government's latest scientific assessment of global warming, released just before negotiations in Paris for a new international agreement on climate change, a New York Times report says.

A Bloomberg editorial comments: At a board meeting on Monday, the International Monetary Fund is likely to announce that China's currency, the yuan, will join the dollar, yen, euro and pound as part of the global currency basket known as the Special Drawing Right. Don't dismiss this as an inconsequential technical adjustment. It's a milestone for the world economy. Beijing has been seeking the decision for a while, arguing that the yuan's importance in world trade warrants this new status as a global reserve currency. Earlier this month the IMF staff reported that the yuan now met the criteria for inclusion in the SDR. It remains only for the board, representing the views of the U.S. and the IMF's leading members, to sign off. They should do so.

Bloomberg writes: Back in 2009, China was a reluctant partner during major climate negotiations in Copenhagen that eventually collapsed amid recriminations between rich and poor nations. This time around the world's biggest polluter is regarded as a driving force behind what could be a comprehensive deal at a world climate summit in Paris. The change in stance has a lot to do with the record levels of foul air that often hang over China's major industrialized urban centers, undermining public health. The resulting backlash over the smog has made President Xi Jinping's government far more serious about combating climate change and investing in cleaner forms of energy. China's resolve will be tested along with other countries as world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and China's Xi, gather in the French capital on Monday. The talks organized by the United Nations are scheduled to run for two weeks and include the biggest ever gathering of leaders on a single day.