This summer’s unusually intense heat wave has dried up tributaries, sweated crops and caused power outages in the southern parts of China in particular. During August, several days with temperatures above 40 degrees were noted in the southern province of Sichuan.
The average temperature for the entire country was 1.2 degrees above normal, according to state-run broadcaster CCTV. This year’s August was also the third driest August on record. In response to the heat wave, the central government has approved subsidies to support hard-hit rice farmers.
September is also predicted to be warmer than normal.
Extreme weather events, such as droughts, heat waves and floods, are becoming both more frequent and more intense due to climate change. China – which emits the most greenhouse gases in the world – has promised that the country will be carbon neutral by 2060.