What is causing record floods and heatwaves in China?

Record floods in southern China this month displaced more than half a million people, while searing heat buckled roads in other parts of the country.

Authorities have issued extreme weather warnings in multiple regions, while experts warned that these phenomena were more evidence of the impact of climate change.

Summer floods are common in China, especially in the low-lying Pearl River delta region in the south.

This year, however, the National Climate Center forecast that flooding will be “relatively worse” and “more extreme” than before.

Water levels at one location in Guangdong province “surpassed historical records” this week, according to the ministry of water resources, while parts of neighbouring Fujian province and Guangxi region also reported record rainfall.

More than half a million people were evacuated this month because of the flood threat.

In the cities of Guangzhou and Shaoguan in Guangdong province, heavy rainfall turned roads into rivers and people had to be taken to safety in lifeboats.

Authorities in the province estimated the economic damage from the floods to be more than a quarter of a billion dollars.

Seven provinces in northern and central China Wednesday warned millions of residents not to go outdoors as temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

State broadcaster CCTV this week showed footage of cement roads cracked under extreme heat in central Henan province.

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Meanwhile, power demand surged to record levels in several cities in the north this week as residents cranked up the air conditioning to beat the heat.

In China’s second-most populous province Shandong, home to more than 100 million people, electricity use topped 93 million kilowatts on Tuesday, beating the 2020 high of 90 million kilowatts, CCTV said.

China’s central economic planner estimates that extreme weather will shave off one to three percent of the country’s GDP every year.

The floods in China last year cost $25 billion — the world’s second-worst flood-related loss after Europe, a study published in April by reinsurer Swiss Re showed.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang warned Wednesday that floods and heatwaves will affect the production of staple grains, vegetables and pork and push up inflation.

“Extreme weather and climate events in the country have become more frequent, severe and widespread,” China Meteorological Administration said Wednesday.

“Climate monitoring and forecasting is a whole different ballgame”, helping to predict severe floods and droughts at least a month in advance.