While our summer in the Southeast has had some dry conditions as well as some local floods, other parts of the world are experiencing much more extreme weather and climate. Here are a few stories I have seen lately.
“…Dead From Scorching Sun”: China’s Farmers Long For Rain Amid Drought:
Southern China has recorded its longest continuous period of high temperatures since records began more than 60 years ago, forcing power cuts that have hit agricultural workers hard.
Europe is in its worst drought in 500 years, study finds
Europe is facing its worst drought in 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent under a “warning” or “alert,” a study by the European Commission has discovered. Preliminary data from the European Drought Observatory found that 47% of Europe is under warning conditions, meaning the soil has a clear deficit of moisture. An additional 17% of the continent is in a state of alert, meaning vegetation is under stress.
Pakistan Suffering From ‘Crisis of Unimaginable Proportions’
A brutal and historic monsoon season has left “a trail of deadly havoc” across the country, reports the BBC, washing out roads and crops and isolating entire villages. Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman makes clear that’s no hyperbole: “Literally, one-third of Pakistan is underwater right now, which has exceeded every boundary, every norm we’ve seen in the past,” she tells the AFP, calling it “a crisis of unimaginable proportions” and describing the land as “one big ocean.” One in 7 Pakistanis are thought to be impacted by the flooding, which has killed at least 1,100 over the course of the monsoon season, 75 in the last day.
