While parts of the world are experiencing devastating drought and heat waves due to the climate crisis, the Chinese province of Henan, which has over 100 million inhabitants, is experiencing torrential rain and flooding. And the capital city of Zhengzhou has seen the worst of conditions, where a local weather commentator called it a “storm once in a thousand years”.
At least 25 people were killed, 12 of them in a flooded subway. Hundreds of trains have stopped because of the flooding, leaving people with few opportunities to wade (or swim) in the water-filled streets. Food shortages have also been reported across the province as the Chinese authorities dispatch emergency workers.
Weather disasters are inextricably linked to man-made climate change. According to NASA, the planet has warmed 2.1 degrees Celsius since 1880, and that makes disasters worse. The forest fire season is getting longer. Hurricanes are getting wetter and more dangerous. Heat waves get hotter, more frequent, and last longer. Heavy rains trigger further inland flooding. And the costs of climate disasters are exploding. To stop this vicious circle, we have to drastically reduce our dependence on climate-damaging fossil fuels.
Here’s a look at the havoc the floods are wreaking in China.
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