China has been devastated by extreme weather and record-breaking temperatures, which have led to landslides, ruined crops, and health risks among its people.
Since the start of the summer, scenes of destruction and suffering have been playing out throughout China as the most populous country in the world struggles to deal with an unrelenting stream of extreme weather situations.
The climate problem, according to scientists' long-standing predictions, will exacerbate extreme weather, making it deadlier and more frequent. According to a report from CNN, China is currently suffering from its effects, as is most of the rest of the world.
Heavy rainstorms have caused devastating flooding and landslides to huge areas of southern China since the country's rainy season began there in May, killing hundreds of people, displacing millions, and inflicting billions of yuan in losses to the economy.
In coastal Fujian province, as well as portions of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, heavy rainfall in June shattered "historical records." Simultaneously, Northern China's weather experienced a heat wave, raising temperatures to nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
More than 900 million people, or around 64% of the population, are currently under the heat wave's influence, which has now covered half the nation. Except for two northern provinces, all of China's provinces have issued high-temperature advisories, with 84 cities last Wednesday issuing their most severe red alerts.
A total of 71 national weather stations in China have recently recorded temperatures that broke records. According to the National Climate Center, temperatures reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in four locations, three of which were in the central province of Hebei, and one of those was in Yunnan, in the southwest.
The China heat wave has also affected the country's crop production and led to power outages in some areas, raising the possibility of significant increases in food costs.
According to the forecaster's website, the oppressive heat will endure for an "extended period" of 40 days, up from the usual 30 days, from July 16 to August 24 countrywide.
Extreme Weather Will Persist in the Coming Weeks
The three "sanfu," or "periods of laying low," during the Chinese summer are three 10-day periods that occur each year between July and August when the humidity and temperature are at their highest.
But this year, per Reuters, the second phase will last for 20 days, from July 26 to August 14. China's heat wave has been sweltering in temperatures of roughly 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on average for the previous two weeks, which has resulted in crumbling roads and an increase in hospital visits for heat stroke and sparked discussion on social media.
According to Yao Wenguang, a Ministry of Water Resources official in charge of drought and flood control, the worst may still be yet to come.
"It is predicted that from July to August, there will be more extreme weather events in China, and regional flood conditions and drought conditions will be heavier than usual," Yao told state-run Xinhua news agency last month.
Government Must Take Immediate Action
Wei Ke, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out in his article published by China Daily that excessive heat will increase in frequency and intensity during the next 30 years, breaking previous records for high temperatures. This is directly tied to climate change.
"As global warming intensifies, losses and devastations will increase, forcing natural and human systems to raise their adaptation limits, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report," he stated.
The expert wrote to lessen the effects of climate change, China and some other nations have established timelines for reaching carbon neutrality and reaching their carbon emission peak levels.
However, he noted that communities need to include heat waves in their emergency or disaster management plans since they are expected to become more frequent.
Ultimately, to combat climate change and stop the planet from overheating, Wei suggests that "the world must abandon business as usual and take sincere action to reduce carbon emissions by reducing the use of fossil fuels and halting the destruction of forests."
