BEIJING: Cities across China were on red alert for heatwaves on Monday, as tens of millions of people were warned to stay indoors and record temperatures strained energy supply. Swathes of the planet have been hit by extreme and deadly heatwaves in recent months, from Western Europe in July to India in March to April.

Scientists say the extreme weather has become more frequent due to climate change, and will likely grow more intense as global temperatures continue to rise.

China is no exception and is sweating through one of its hottest summers on record.

In the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian, the mercury rose above 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend, reaching all-time highs in two cities.

China swelters under record heat

People in areas under red heat alerts — mostly concentrated in the southeast and northwest — are being ordered to “cease all outdoor activities” and “pay special attention to fire prevention”, the national meteorological service said in multiple notices over the weekend.

Saturday marked the “Great Heat” day on China’s traditional calendar, long recognised as the hottest period of the year, but this summer has been exceptionally warm.

Earlier this month Shanghai reco­rded its highest air temperature — 40.9C — since records began in 1873.

The scorching heat sent hundreds of people to the beach in Fujian’s Xiamen city on Sunday, while others hid from the sun under hats and face coverings.

China’s power grid is also feeling the strain from increased demand for air conditioning, with the country’s largest power plants generating at a record capacity in mid-July, according to energy industry publication Sxcoal.

Some local governments have resorted to turning off street lamps and raising peak period electricity tariffs for factories this month.

The ongoing heat wave, which has struck the lower reaches of the Yangtze River especially hard, will also “adversely affect local crops,” warned Fu Jiaolan, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre.

Wildfire in California

Meanwhile, firefighters in California were making slow progress on Monday in the battle against a raging wildfire near Yosemite National Park that officials said would force some residents to evacuate with “just the shirts on their back”.

The latest blaze — which has already forced thousands to evacuate — comes as much of the United States remain in the grip of a sweltering heat wave.

The Oak Fire in Mariposa County has burned 16,791 acres (6.795 hectares) and is so far 10 per cent contained, Cal Fire, the state fire department, said.

“What we’re seeing on this fire is very indicative of what we’ve seen in fires throughout California, in the West over the last two years,” Jon Heggie, a Cal Fire battalion chief, told CNN.

“These fires are burning with just such a velocity and intensity it makes it extremely challenging and extremely dangerous for both the public and the firefighters,” Heggie said.

“It’s moving so quickly it’s not giving people a lot of time and they sometimes are just going to have to evacuate with just the shirts on their back,” he said.

The Oak Fire has forced the evacuation of several thousand people so far, officials said, and the hot and dry conditions and steep, rugged terrain are complicating firefighting efforts.

Wildfire in Greece

In Greece, which is particularly vulnerable to fires, firefighters battled wildfires on three fronts on Monday as flames destroyed around 2,200 hectares (5,400 acres) of woodland in one of the country’s most important protected habitats.

Around 320 firefighters, two water-bombing planes and four helicopters deployed to contain the fire, now raging for a fourth day, at the Dadia National Park, known for its black vulture colony.

Some villages in the area have been evacuated. The flames have already destroyed some 2,200 hectares of woodland, according to a local mayor.

“It’s an uphill battle, a fight to ensure the survival of this exceptional ecosystem,” said the minister for climate crisis and civil protection, Christos Stylianidis, after visiting the affected area.

“It’s an ecological disaster, the damage is incalculable,” Soufli mayor Panagiotis Kalakikos told Star TV.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2022