… and, winter is coming.
For those just scrolling by while whistling past the graveyard, you might want to read this story and prepare yourself while you watch your wallet because the shit just might hit the fan and soon. Economic Impacts from climate change are here and only getting worse.
There is not going to be a do-over for climate; this is it. I hope senators that want to disembowel the Build Back Better plan will hear the outrage from citizens, They deserve everything they will hear and then some.
China, already in a significant energy crunch, has been experiencing energy shortages due to extreme weather, a surge in demand, and a fledgling effort to reduce CO2 emissions. It is a triple whammy for the country that produces the second-highest global greenhouse emissions in the world after the United States.
The last thing China needs is a remarkable rainfall in NE China that has flooded the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, which contains the coal and other extraction industries mines that drive their economy.
In a recent merger, China consolidated five enormous coal mines into a mega coal producer that ties the output of Australia for the most filthy energy source on earth.
China has already ordered coal companies in Mongolia to up production overriding the transition to clean energy that dictator Xi Jinping had promised. Coal provides sixty percent of the power in China.
Two million people have been affected by the heavy rainfall that fell from October 4th to the 6th. The flooding is more extensive than the rain that fell in Henan province this past summer. That flood drowned hundreds of people, some of whom were trapped in subway tunnels. Because this is China, news reports are screened by the government and not always truthful. There were dead bodies all over Zhenzhou; I didn’t trust their numbers.
Reporting by the BBC said first responders' instructions by megaphone to stranded people were “children should be held over people's heads, and the elderly and ladies should be allowed to walk ashore first during the rescue. Don't panic, everyone will be rescued.” Agricultural land inundated add to the gloom of a looming worldwide food shortage as rainfall patterns is disturbed.
The unrelenting rainfall has wreaked havoc throughout China so far in 2021. Last year's floods were problematic as well. Warming oceans cause an increase in water vapor in the atmosphere that leads to massive rainfall events such as these. It was also a major factor in the flooding of the NE from Ida.
This flooding will exacerbate the global energy shortage as winter approaches amidst projected food shortages. Do not expect coal emissions to drop pretty much anywhere soon.
From The Guardian:
Among the more than 400 suspended mining operations, 60 were coal-producing. China is experiencing crippling electricity shortages, reportedly caused by coal shortages and record high prices, which have prompted authorities to order increased coal production elsewhere in the country.
According to state media, 59 national meteorological stations reported the highest ever recorded daily rainfall, and 63 their highest accumulative total over the period. The Fenhe River reached its highest level in four years, they said.
Torrential rains fell for several days last week across the province. In 12 hours overnight to Thursday morning, Shanxi, which ordinarily has an average of 31.3mm for the month, had an average 119.5mm across the province. Eighteen counties recorded more than 200mm, with a maximum of 285.2mm.
Meanwhile, Indian media gloats over eating China’s lunch.
Chinese cities are going dark. Chinese manufacturers are mired in gruesome energy crisis. Coal prices are soaring and inflation is surging like never before. And before Beijing could even think of importing the Australian coal stranded at Chinese ports to alleviate its coal crisis, India has begun importing the stranded shipments en masse to make sure the CCP pays a hefty price for its economic coercion against Australia. As per a Livemint report, Indian firms have bought nearly 2 million tons of Australian thermal coal that has been sitting in warehouses at the Chinese ports. The coal is being bought at discounted prices in a win-win situation as the stranded ships and crew finally make their way out of the mess created by China.
In January this year, China thought of punishing Australia by banning imports of top-quality Australian coal that left the fate of already-shipped coal shipments hanging in balance. China’s ill-thought move left as many as 70 ships and 1,400 seafarers stranded at Chinese ports desperately waiting to discharge their loadings. Many of them had already been redirected to other destinations, and now the remaining ones are finding Indian firms as their new buyers. Effectively, India has cancelled the Chinese war on the Australian coal industry by sending out a clear message that India is firmly standing strong with its Australian friends as they continue to battle Chinese tyranny.
South China is also flooding.
The global economy will likely take a beating from the ills plaguing China. A good example being US automakers unable to get the chips required to build their cars as they are manufactured in China. It could get ugly. Watch out Detroit.
Technology: This is probably the worst-hit sector as China is the world's biggest manufacturer of gadgets. In recent weeks, Pegatron Corporation, a key partner for Apple, adopted energy-saving measures and ASE Technology Holding, the world’s biggest chip packager, has halted production for several days.
Auto sector: Many global automakers have their plants in China and several auto components are produced in the country. A reduced power supply is likely to impact production. In fact, Toyota, which has plants in Tianjin and Guangzhou, has said some of its operations have been impacted by power shortages.
Food: The food processing units in the country are also struggling due to the ongoing crisis. Processing of soybean for cooking oil, operation of machines essential for dairy products, and functioning of cold storage units are also taking a hit due to the energy crunch.
From Bloomberg Green on the unfolding energy crisis:
The world is living through the first major energy crisis of the clean-power transition. It won’t be the last.
The shortages jolting natural gas and electricity markets from the U.K. to China are unfolding just as demand roars back from the pandemic. But the planet has faced volatile energy markets and supply squeezes for decades. What’s different now is that the richest economies are also undergoing one of the most ambitious overhauls of their power systems since the dawn of the electric age -- with no easy way to store the energy generated from renewable sources.
The transition to cleaner energy is designed to make those systems more resilient, not less. But the actual switch will take decades, during which the world will still rely on fossil fuels even as major producers are now drastically shifting their output strategies.
The wall to the ancient city of Pingyao has just collapsed. The gate has been held so far due to a diligent effort to protect a town built of clay. The city is 2700 years old and is a world heritage site.
The writers in Climate Brief work to keep the Daily Kos community informed and engaged with breaking news about the climate crisis worldwide while providing inspiring stories of environmental heroes, opportunities for direct engagement, and perspectives on the intersection of climate activism with spirituality politics, and the arts.
