China Floods: 4 Killed, More Than 110K Evacuated

Facts

• In Guangdong, one of China's most densely populated regions, authorities have evacuated over 110K people after record-breaking downpours caused devastating flooding over the weekend.¹
• Four people have died so far, including three people in Zhaoqing and one in Shaoguan. At least 10 people have gone missing, with rivers in the region reaching record highs after an average cumulative rainfall of 121.8 mm.²
• Floods have also ravaged about 1.5K hectares of crops and caused financial losses of more than ¥41M ($5.7M) in neighboring Jiangxi province.³
• Much of Guangdong is part of the Pearl River Delta, a major manufacturing hub in China with a population of about 127M which is vulnerable to flooding due to rising sea levels and storm surges.⁴
• A level IV emergency response has been activated in Shaoguan and Qingyuan, while direct economic losses in the region are estimated at over ¥1.4B ($193M).⁵
• Last July, China was hit by a series of Pacific typhoons, weather events that displaced over 700K people, damaged 3.13M hectares of crops, and caused direct economic losses to the tune of ¥41.18B ($5.74B)⁶

Sources: ¹CNN, ²South China Morning Post, ³Guardian, ⁴BBC News, ⁵Dimsum Daily and ⁶Global Times.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by BBC News. Scientists have long documented that extreme weather is interrelated and exacerbated by climate change. Droughts and severe rainfall frequently hit China, causing floods. The fact that China is the world's greatest emitter of greenhouse gases contributes to the problem, since every ton of carbon dioxide that stays in the ground might reduce future catastrophes in the PRC. However, this is a global problem that no one country can solve on its own.
• Narrative B, as provided by Dialogue Earth. When it comes to natural disasters, China is indeed among the nations that have taken the worst hits. Accordingly, China has gained vast expertise in disaster relief, which has improved its knowledge of climate change adaptation. China must now establish a long-term climate adaptation strategy — including rebuilding cities to deal with the issues of a changing climate. The PRC has an opportunity to build on its vast experience to become deeply resilient to climate challenges.

Predictions