BLOG
The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Drought Dries Up Industry
August 27th, 2022
Via The Economist, an article on the economic impact of China’s drought: The city rivalty is heating up between Shanghai and Chengdu. The highest temperatures and lowest rainfall since records began 60 years ago have led to severe power shortages across the south-western province of Sichuan, where Chengdu is located, and in its neighbouring municipality, […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Record Drought Is Drying Rivers and Feeding Its Coal Habit
August 26th, 2022
Courtesy of The New York Times, an article on how dry weather in southwestern China has crippled huge hydroelectric dams, forcing cities to impose rolling blackouts and driving up the country’s use of coal: Car assembly plants and electronics factories in southwestern China have closed for lack of power. Owners of electric cars are waiting […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Water Crisis Is Three Crises in One
August 25th, 2022
Via Bloomberg, commentary on how China’s drought has implications for power generation and global climate, along with some nasty feedback loops: Apocalypses are, by definition, bad. But in popular culture and imagination, they are usually at least understandable, if not manageable. With zombies and plagues, for instance, all you’ve got to do is avoid getting eaten/sick, and you can rebuild […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Half Of China Hit By Drought In Worst Heatwave On Record
August 25th, 2022
Via Terra Daily, a report on China’s growing drought: A crippling drought exacerbated by a record heatwave has spread across half of China and reached the normally frigid Tibetan Plateau, according to official data released ahead of more searing temperatures on Thursday. The world’s second-largest economy has experienced over 70 days of heatwaves, flash floods […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Looming Water Crisis
August 23rd, 2022
Courtesy of Foreign Affairs, a report on China’s looming water crisis: China is on the brink of a water catastrophe. A multiyear drought could push the country into an outright water crisis. Such an outcome would not only have a significant effect on China’s grain and electricity production; it could also induce global food and industrial […]
Read more »Record River Lows Across China, US and Europe Sap Economies
August 20th, 2022
Courtesy of the Financial Times, an article on the economic impact that drought is having upon China, U.S., and Europe: Factories grinding to a halt, crops devastated, cargo ships forced to carry smaller loads and millions facing a risk of blackouts — these are just some of the drastic consequences of record low river levels […]
Read more »