China is facing its worst heatwave in 60 years, forcing factories in southwestern China to close. Severe drought has shrunk rivers, cut off water and hydropower supplies in the region, and prompted authorities to limit power supplies to businesses and homes. In two cities, construction of office buildings was ordered. shut off While using air conditioners to conserve over-extended electricity grids, local governments in other parts of southern China have urged residents and businesses to conserve energy.
Rolling blackouts and factory shutdowns that have affected Toyota and Apple supplier Foxconn show that extreme weather is adding to China’s economic woes. Youth unemployment has hit a record high, dragged down by draconian Covid policies of lockdowns, quarantines and travel restrictions, while factory output dwindles. , troubles in the real estate sector caused an extraordinary surge of public discontent.
China is now also facing a severe heat wave, often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), sweeping across the country for more than two months from central Sichuan to coastal Jiangsu. In the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, the government issued her eighth high temperature alert this summer as mercury rose to his 113 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The country recorded an average of 12 days of high temperatures this summer, about five days more than usual, and the heatwave is expected to last at least another week. Statistics from the official China Meteorological Center.
Extreme heat is expected to significantly reduce China’s rice harvest According to the Agriculture Rural Department.
“At the moment, heat has the biggest impact and has a very unfavorable impact,” said Fang Fuping, a researcher at the China Rice Research Institute in Hangzhou. official news outlet.
Severe weather is also affecting other agriculture. In the eastern city of Hangzhou, tea farmers preparing for the autumn harvest cover their crops with netting to protect them from the scorching heat.
In urban areas, drivers wore face coverings and sleeves to protect themselves from sunburn. Office workers tried to cool off with ice and frozen snacks.
“It’s too hot like a furnace,” said Ella Wang, 24, a real estate agent in the eastern city of Hangzhou. She relieved herself of her lukewarm office air conditioning by placing a large bucket of ice on the floor at her feet. “It affects both physics and psychology,” she said.
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Humans weren’t the only ones overwhelmed by the heat. The panda in the zoo lay on the melting ice. A truckload of pigs in the southwestern city of Chongqing became dehydrated and were hosed down by firefighters. State media reports said chickens refused feed and struggled to lay eggs in the heat, causing egg prices to soar across the country.
Li Xingyi, owner of a poultry farm in the eastern city of Hefei, said: local news site He said he installed large fans in the chicken coop to keep the temperature from going above 88 degrees Fahrenheit, but said he was still laying fewer eggs than usual. Another farmer in central Henan province told the state news agency About 20% of his hens refused to lay eggs.
In Chongqing, a sprawling metropolis of about 20 million people in southwestern China, a severe drought has exacerbated heat, drying up 51 rivers and 24 reservoirs, cutting water supplies for more than 300,000 residents. I’m at a loss. Several other states are also experiencing droughts, which are expected to worsen in the coming weeks.
The Yangtze River, the world’s third-longest river, has receded to record lows due to low rainfall, with water levels dropping 16 to 20 feet compared to the same time last year.
“The situation in the upper Yangtze reservoir is grim,” said Liu Weiping, deputy director of the Ministry of Water Resources, at a press conference on Wednesday, adding that rainfall is low and water is running in. Water from various river sources is expected to continue into next month.
The drought has severely strained the power supply in Sichuan province, which relies heavily on hydropower. Sichuan’s hydropower plant capacity has been halved, said Zhou Jian, deputy chief of his engineer at the State Grid Sichuan Power Management Center. national television.
To save energy, metro stations and trains in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, turned off the overhead lights To save energy, office buildings there and in the neighboring city of Ozu were asked to stop using air conditioners. The state also ordered factories to shut down from Aug. 15 to 20, and Toyota and Apple supplier Foxconn were among the companies that confirmed their factories would comply.
Climate scientists say the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will increase in the coming decades, given the slow decline in greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale. Even as drought hit parts of China, heavy rains pounded other areas, including the northwestern city of Xining, where Thursday’s flash flood killed 16 people and left 36 missing. rice field. state media reported.
Xiaming Shi, Assistant Professor, Department of Environment and Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said:
“Everyone, from individuals to city governors and developers, needs to prepare for extreme new norms and recognize that these new extreme events can be dangerous,” he said. rice field.
Re-U, Claire Who When Ben Dooley Contributed to reporting and research.