“People are becoming more aware of the severity of heatwaves, but not the link between heatwaves and climate change,” says Zhao Li, a senior researcher for Greenpeace east Asia’s Beijing office.
That is partly because, although there is some limited education about climate change, permitted discourse stops short of talking about major policy shifts, such as reducing China’s coal emissions more rapidly. The government has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2060, but concerns about energy security and the need for economic growth mean that local authorities are showing no sign of backing down on building new coal power.
Also, says Zhao, “even if people link heatwaves and climate change, they don’t think it’s something that the individual should pay attention to.” Most people see it as being the government’s responsibility – and therefore out of the hands of the public, she says.
** Beijing records hottest June day since weather records began as heatwave hits China **
Nanjiao weather station in southern Beijing hits 41.1C, half a degree higher than the station’s previous monthly record
In nearby Tianjin – home to over 13 million people – temperatures in the city centre also soared, with the western Xiqing district logging its hottest ever June day with 40.6C.
Nationwide, 17 weather stations “recorded record high temperature extremes” on Thursday, according to the National Meteorological Centre.
“It never used to get this hot in June before, but now it’s so hot my hands are trembling,” wrote one user on the Weibo social media platform.
“Are there three suns blazing over Beijing right now?” wrote another. “It’s hot enough to cause a breakdown.”
Cars washed away as floods wreak havoc in southern China
Reuters June 30, 20237:21 AM PDT
BEIJING, June 30 (Reuters) - Intense rains lashed a scenic area in China’s southern Hunan province on Friday, unleashing flooding that swept away cars, engulfed farmland and prompted evacuations and rescues of stranded people.
China has recently been beset by a combination of heavy rainfall and sizzling hot temperatures that have taken a toll on its agriculture and power consumption.
Rains have pounded the Xiangxi area in Hunan since Thursday, with 314.5 mm of precipitation soaking Baojing County by 2 p.m., shattering a local record, state-backed media reported.
Roads in parts of Xiangxi area transformed into fast-flowing rivers that washed away dozens of vehicles, and firefighters used ropes and rubber dinghies to rescue marooned residents, videos circulating on Chinese Twitter-like Weibo showed.
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/cars-washed-away-floods-wreak-havoc-southern-china-2023-06-30/