Hong Kong — China is tackling extreme weather across the country, with the worst floods in decades submerging homes and cars in the south, and record high heat waves in northern and central states buckling roads. ..
According to the report, the water levels of more than 100 rivers across the country have skyrocketed above flood warning levels. People’s Daily, The ruling Communist Party mouthpiece. Guangdong officials closed schools, businesses and public transport in the affected areas on Tuesday after several days of rainfall and floods, issuing the highest level of warning.
Floods have disrupted the lives of nearly 500,000 people in southern China. State media footage showed that rescue teams for boats rowing on flooded roads rescue trapped residents. At the manufacturing base in Shaoguan The factory was ordered to stop productionThe state television reported that the water level reached its 50-year high.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, Guangdong’s emergency management department has affected 479,600 people, destroyed nearly 30 hectares of crops and destroyed more than 1,700 homes, for a total of $ 261 million. Announced that a loss has occurred.
China has been tackling summer floods for centuries, according to the Central Meteorological Observatory, but this year’s floods coincide with heat waves that hit the northern part of the country, with heavy rains moving in the coming days. Is expected.
Tuesday temperatures reached a maximum of 104 degrees Fahrenheit in nine northern and central states. In Henan, local media reported last week that a high surface temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit caused a rupture of a cement road that resembled the aftermath of an earthquake.
Burning heat in some of China’s most populous states has boosted demand for air conditioners and fueled record electricity usage. In Shandong Province, northeastern China, with a population of 100 million, the maximum load on Tuesday reached a record 92.94 million kW, surpassing the 2020 high of 90.22 million kW, state television said.
Prime Minister Li Keqiang said on Tuesday that the country would have to increase its coal production capacity to prevent power outages while touring thermal power companies.
This year’s floods and heat waves in China have killed hundreds of people, caused power outages, and evacuated millions in southwestern China, including Chungzhou, where floods were trapped, as they did last year. It has been going on for days to weeks. Subway commuter.
The two-sided weather emergencies that China is experiencing reflect the global trend of increasingly frequent and long episodes of extreme weather events caused by climate change.
China has transformed farmland into cities in the last few decades, saving millions of people in rural areas from poverty. However, in pursuit of economic development, greenhouse gas emissions exceed those of all developed countries combined, making it one of the largest pollutants in the world.
Xi Jinping has since become the first leader in a country pledged to tackle climate change as a national priority. China introduced a carbon market in July last year to curb emissions, and has nearly quintupled urban green space over the last two decades.
However, serious environmental damage has already occurred. The devastation and turmoil caused by already emitted greenhouse gases can continue for years to come.
@Zixu Wang in Hong Kong and Li You Contributed to the report in Shanghai.