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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    China deploys cloud-seeding planes and cuts electricity use as record heatwave takes

    China is scrambling to alleviate power shortages and bring more water to the drought-hit basin of the Yangtze river as it battles a record-breaking heatwave by seeding clouds, deploying relief funds and developing new sources of supply.


    For more than two months, baking temperatures have disrupted crop growth, threatened livestock and forced industries in the hydropower-dependent regions of the south-west to shut down to ensure electricity supplies for homes.


    China has repeatedly warned that it faces a proliferation of extreme weather events in coming years as it tries to adapt to climate change and rising temperatures that are likely to be more severe than elsewhere.

    The current extreme heat is likely to stem from a “special case” of high pressure from the western Pacific extending over much of Asia, said Cai Wenju, a researcher with Australia’s national scientific research institute, CSIRO.


    China’s heatwave has run for 64 days, making it the longest since full records began in 1961, state media said, citing data from the national climate centre. High temperatures will persist until 26 August in the Sichuan basin and large parts of central China, according to forecasts.


    On Wednesday, China’s south-western province of Sichuan said it would ration power supplies to homes, offices and shopping malls, after having already ordered producers of energy-intensive metals and fertiliser to curb operations.


    In what appears to be an official call to cut electricity use, government offices were asked to set air conditioners no lower than 26C (79F) and use the stairs instead of lifts, the Sichuan Daily said.


    Fountains, light shows and commercial activities after dark are to be suspended, it added.


    On Wednesday, the central province of Hubei became the latest to unveil an effort to induce rainfall, by sending airplanes to fire the chemical silver iodide into the clouds.


    Other regions on the Yangtze have also launched “cloud seeding” programmes, but with cloud cover too thin, operations in some parched areas have stayed on standby.


    Power shortages have also prompted several companies in the sprawling Chongqing region bordering Sichuan to say they would suspend production.


    China’s vice premier, Han Zheng, visited the state grid corporation on Wednesday and said further efforts were needed to ensure power supply for residents and key industries, and to prevent power cuts, according to a state media report.


    China should accelerate projects to improve power load management and promote the joint operation of coal power and renewable energy, Han said.

    Hydropower makes up about 80% of Sichuan’s power capacity, but dwindling water flows on the Yangtze and its tributaries led to a struggle to meet mounting demand for air conditioning as temperatures soared to 40C and beyond.


    Average precipitation in Sichuan is 51% less than that of previous years, according to state news agency Xinhua, which cited the provincial branch of state grid.


    Some reservoirs have dried up, after water from major rivers reduced by as much as half, it said.


    Drought throughout the Yangtze river basin was also “adversely affecting” drinking water for rural people and livestock, as well as the growth of crops, the water resources ministry said in a notice.


    It urged drought-hit regions to make plans to maintain water supply with steps such as temporary water transfer, the development of new sources and the extension of pipe networks.


    To boost downstream supplies, China’s biggest hydropower project, the Three Gorges dam, will step up water discharges by 500m cubic metres over the next 10 days, it said on Tuesday. Water flows there this week were about half those of a year earlier.


    Some livestock from drought-hit areas had been temporarily moved elsewhere, the finance ministry said this week, promising disaster relief of 300m yuan ($44m).

    China deploys cloud-seeding planes and cuts electricity use as record heatwave takes toll | China | The Guardian

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    And the stupid chinky cuntos still want to keep fucking up the environment. Meanwhile floods in the North have killed at least four.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    And the stupid chinky cuntos still want to keep fucking up the environment. Meanwhile floods in the North have killed at least four.
    Stupid observation.
    How many died in the floods in Arizona last week?

    Oh, and

    California urges residents to cut power use as searing heatwave grips US west | California | The Guardian

  4. #4
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    The technology is a bit hit and Miss, but it’s nice to see the Chinese doing something a bit more grown up than crying over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cujo View Post
    Stupid observation.
    How many died in the floods in Arizona last week?

    Oh, and

    California urges residents to cut power use as searing heatwave grips US west | California | The Guardian

    God you're a wittering imbecile.

    From the article:

    China has repeatedly warned that it faces a proliferation of extreme weather events in coming years as it tries to adapt to climate change and rising temperatures that are likely to be more severe than elsewhere.
    Derp.

    Since 2008, China has topped the annual list of being the largest emitters of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), according to Our World in Data, an online scientific publication that Oxford University contributes to. In 2019, China emitted 10.2 billion metric tons of CO2 — nearly twice as much as the United States (5.3 billion metric tons) — representing nearly 28% of global emissions.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    it’s nice to see the Chinese doing something a bit more grown up than crying over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
    This is nature's fault . . . easy to apportion blame

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    This is nature's fault . . . easy to apportion blame
    It was a light hearted dig.

    There are some anthropogenic inputs too, but the great imponderable is the cyclic nature of global weather events over millenia. IMHO. (BSc Hons) Environmental Conservation. 2008

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    IMHO. (BSc Hons) Environmental Conservation. 2008
    have you had much impact in the last 14 years

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    have you had much impact in the last 14 years
    It’s an opinion based on some sincerely held beliefs that may not always agree with the establishment. That establishment may have a different motivation. I like to think that my opinion is more considered, and not influenced by external factors.

  10. #10
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    ^ Word . . . and I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    ^ Word . . . and I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek
    Missed it ‘cause there was no smile in your original post.

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