Heavy rains in China have claimed the lives of at least 30 people and left dozens missing, state media reported on August 1, as the country endures another summer of extreme weather.
On the same day that weather authorities announced July as China’s hottest month in six decades, confirmation of the deaths was reported.
China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, which scientists identify as key drivers of climate change, contributing to more frequent and intense extreme weather events.
This summer, northern China has experienced intense heatwaves, while central and southern regions have faced floods and landslides due to heavy rainfall.
Typhoon Gaemi, which shifted from the Philippines and Taiwan, attacked eastern China a week ago, leading to this week’s heavy rainfall. The landlocked and hilly Hunan province encountered some of the worst impacts.”
“According to state news agency Xinhua on July 30, over 11,000 residents were evacuated from Zixing city after parts of the area experienced unprecedented rainfall of 645mm within a single day.”
Numerous roads linking townships in the Zixing area were temporarily severed, disrupting power supply and communications infrastructure.
On August 1, state broadcaster CCTV announced that the disruption had mostly subsided. “Preliminary findings indicate 30 fatalities and 35 missing persons,” the report mentioned, noting that search-and-rescue operations were still in progress.
On July 30, Xinhua reported that four people were killed and three were missing in Zixing.
Additionally, three people lost their lives in Yongxing county, Hunan, according to Xinhua. A landslide on July 28 claimed the lives of 15 people someplace in the province.
On August 1, the national weather office declared that July was “the hottest… since complete observations began in 1961, and the hottest single month in the history of observation.”
In a statement on August 1, the national weather office revealed that the average air temperature in China for July was 23.21°C, surpassing the previous record of 23.17°C set in 2017.
Every province experienced temperatures higher than historical averages, with Guizhou and Yunnan logging their highest mean temperatures.
The office also predicted further increases in temperatures in the eastern regions, including Shanghai, which was under a red alert for extreme heat.
One Weibo user likened the heat to “being on an iron plate,” while another joked that Shanghai might have angered the gods.
Hangzhou is expected to reach 43°C on August 3, potentially breaking its all-time high.
Additionally, areas along the middle and lower Yangtze River are likely to see daily temperatures remain above 30°C.
Severe summer
The announcement came shortly after Earth experienced its hottest day on record. According to preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average temperature on July 22 was 17.15°C, surpassing the previous day’s record by 0.06°C, which had just broken the prior all-time high set a year earlier.
China has committed to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2060 but has resisted more ambitious targets.
Historically reliant on coal power, China has recently become a leader in renewable energy.
Research from July indicated that China is building nearly twice as much wind and solar energy capacity as the rest of the world combined.
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