Heat wave in China: record temperatures above 43 degrees in May!

Heat wave in China: record temperatures above 43 degrees in May!

China is currently faced with extreme temperatures that set new records in May. In the city of Linzhou, impressive 43.2 degrees Celsius were measured, while in Shale the temperatures rose to 42.9 degrees Celsius. By Monday afternoon, 99 weather stations in China had reached maximum values or exceeded that were recorded in previous years in May. Meteorologists predict a weakening of this heat wave by Friday, with possible temperature waste by up to 15 degrees in some regions, such as the Kleine Zeitung reported.

The current heat records are part of a larger trend that has been observed in several Asian countries since April. In China, a record of 52.2 degrees Celsius was recently recorded in the municipality of Sanbao in the northwest of the country. This new record exceeds the previous maximum value of 50.3 degrees Celsius, which was measured in 2015. Experts express concerns that the drought from last year, which has been considered the most difficult dry period for 60 years, could repeat itself, so Tagesschau .

Connection with climate change

China is the world's largest issuer of greenhouse gases and the current weather extremes are part of the alarming effects of climate change. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and lead to more frequent and more intensive weather events. In the past year, dozens of people died in floods in China, and thousands had to be evacuated. The Wwf highlights that the surface temperature of the earth increases faster than ever in the past 2000 years, and extreme weather events such as heat waves and Increase floods.

In a current context, China and the United States, despite political differences, plan to work in the fight against global warming. John Kerry, the special representative of the United States for climate change, will have talks with his Chinese counterpart. Kerry emphasizes the urgency to make progress in the four months before the global climate summit in Dubai and asks China to reduce methane emissions and reduce the effects of coal electricity on the climate.

global climate goals and challenges

experts warn that the goal of restricting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is increasingly at risk. Climate policy urgently needs to be brought into focus. Measures against the climate crisis and the expansion of renewable energies are essential. The WWF emphasizes that human influences such as soil sealing and river guidelines tighten floods. Solutions such as the renaturation of waters could help improve flood protection.

The coming weeks remain decisive because the effects of this heat wave and the geopolitical efforts to combat climate change will continue to be the focus.