The Guardian reports that half of China is struggling with floods and landslides, while the other half is starving for water. Farmers suffering from drought are increasingly concerned that this could be the end of their livelihoods.
what’s the matter?
Northern and central China have been suffering from months of drought and extreme heat, which has forced Chinese farmers to postpone planting, delaying the production of popular crops such as rice, corn and commonly used medicinal herbs such as mugwort.
“With advanced technology and artificial rain, there is hope for us,” one farmer told AFP, according to Phys.org. “But if there is no rain at all, for ordinary people like us, the crops will fail completely. That is the reality.”
According to Phys.org, another farmer expressed his gloomy feelings, saying, “If it really doesn’t rain, (crops) will all die.”
Why is this pattern so concerning?
The drought would pose a major threat not only to China’s food supply, which was already a concern in the country of more than 1.4 billion people, but also to the world’s food supply. But what experts are most worried about is what will happen in the future if this severe drought continues.
That’s likely, considering weather patterns scientists have been cataloging for decades. Droughts have long been part of the natural weather cycle, but one important factor is increasing their severity and duration: global warming.
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Global warming is associated with increasingly erratic weather patterns and an increase in extreme weather events. The thick layer of hot air in the atmosphere acts as an atmospheric “steroid”, prolonging droughts and, ironically, intensifying tropical storms.
Even now, farmers in central and northern China are drying out from the heat, while severe flooding and landslides in southern China have killed several people and left many more missing, according to Phys.org.
What is being done about this?
Scientists are trying to innovate various methods to protect crops from drought, such as modifying crops to require less water or experimenting with artificial rain systems. However, artificial rain systems are still controversial because they use chemicals.
While not all farmers have experienced severe droughts yet, the likelihood of droughts seems to be increasing as nearly all cities face weather threats from climate change.
The best thing individuals can do is try to reduce their carbon footprint to slow global warming. For example, supporting eco-friendly brands, voting for candidates who tackle climate change, growing your own food, switching to electric vehicles, eliminating single-use plastics, or using a green bank.
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