It S Getting Extremely Difficult Climate Crisis Forces China To Deal With Electricity Share China

The power restriction imposed by city authorities was the first in Shanghai, China’s financial hub. However, across the rest of the country, similar restrictions have been put in place as cities, particularly in the southwest region, face ongoing power shortages caused by devastating droughts this summer. Parched land around the water reservoir amid drought in the village on the outskirts of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. Photo: Alex Plavevski/EPA In Sichuan, a top-level power emergency alert has been issued to deal with the province’s power shortages, a first in the province’s history: the alert means residents will be prioritized for power supply. Sichaun is known for its abundant hydroelectric power, which provides 80% of its power and is a vital link in China’s extensive West-East electricity transmission project. But the region has been hit by record-breaking high temperatures not seen for 60 years. With water in the region’s rivers falling to historic lows, hydroelectric plants are producing only half the power they produced at this time last year. Sichuan has already imposed rolling blackouts on factories and international companies have been forced to halt production, while coal-fired plants are all at full capacity. However, even so, cities around Sichuan are struggling to meet the increasing energy demands of residential communities, with people’s daily lives being greatly affected. In Dazhou, residents of one community complain that power supplies have been cut for 6-7 hours every day for nearly a week, leaving many to flock to a nearby bridge at night to beat the sweltering summer heat, according to Jiupai News. A man walks through corn fields amid widespread drought on the outskirts of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. Photo: Alex Plavevski/EPA Private business owners are also being hit hard as supplies are rationed between communities and shopping centers. In Chengdu, a restaurant owner complained about China’s TikTok equivalent, Douyin, saying: “It’s very difficult for us in the food and beverage industry this year. We barely got through the Covid restrictions earlier this year and now we’re being hit with power shortages.” “We were looking forward to July and August, which is usually the high season for us, but it all seems to be just a dream now.” The disruptions are being felt across the country, with inter-regional business operations and supply chains affected in various ways. The price of commodities such as silicon metal has risen due to capacity constraints, and there are growing concerns about a shortage of auto parts in Shanghai for companies such as Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Tesla. Meanwhile, cities such as Chongqing, Luzhou in Sichuan and Chishui in Guizhou, all in China’s greater southwest, are also battling forest fires fueled by a lack of rain and extreme heat. In Chongqing alone, between August 18 and 21, at least five forest fires have been reported in areas including Jiangjin, Dazu, Tongliang, Ba’nan and Nanchuan, adding more woes to the already strained government. A woman works on the farm amid drought on the outskirts of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. Photo: Alex Plavevski/EPA Droughts have also caused problems for farmers, with a shortage of drinking water among nearly 200,000 farm animals in Sichuan. Some 433,000 hectares (1,069,966 acres) of crops have been affected by the water shortage, with the resulting direct economic loss amounting to 3.5 billion yuan, according to figures released by Sichuan’s emergency management authorities. Like China, countries in the northern hemisphere are experiencing unprecedented heatwaves and droughts this year, reminding the world once again of the dark reality of climate change. Riding the tide of the current crisis, calls for more awareness of this huge global challenge are growing on Chinese social media. On the Twitter-like social media platform Weibo, a hashtag titled ‘Help Earth Reduce 1°C’, which was started by Chinese NEV giant BYD, has gained more than 120 million views. In its description, the company calls on the public to pay more attention to global warming. Since then, the hashtag has been reposted by state media accounts including The People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency. A photo taken by drone shows farms along the Yangtze River amid drought on the outskirts of Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Alex Plavevski/EPA Others warn that extreme weather events are likely to remain a common occurrence for the foreseeable future, calling for concerted efforts across industries to effectively deal with it. “Around the world, extreme weather events with high and even ultra-high temperatures will likely occur frequently in the next decade or longer into the future. Judging by the situation this year, I don’t think people have the full picture of how much of an impact such weather can have on our production operations and our lives.” Xu Xiaofeng, former deputy director of the China Meteorological Administration, said in an interview with National Business Daily. “Only by strengthening coordination between different industries and deepening our knowledge about climate change can we come up with effective countermeasures.” However, with Sichuan setting the example of turning to coal-fired electricity as an immediate solution amid the current energy crisis, it remains to be seen how China will strike a balance between ensuring normal energy use and meeting the target carbon neutral by 2060.

title: " It S Getting Extremely Difficult Climate Crisis Forces China To Deal With Electricity Share China Klmat" ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Walter Mcclure”

title: " It S Getting Extremely Difficult Climate Crisis Forces China To Deal With Electricity Share China Klmat" ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Ellen Sanez”

title: " It S Getting Extremely Difficult Climate Crisis Forces China To Deal With Electricity Share China Klmat" ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-19” author: “Erwin Jones”