#xinjiang — Public Fediverse posts

Washington's shift from liberal‑values diplomacy toward a Christian‑nationalist framework is weakening the traditional basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance and turning religious freedom into a selective diplomatic tool. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/07/16/japan/us-japan-relations-next/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #us #coldwar #sovietunion #donaldtrump #christianity #china #usjapanrelations #dei #chinesecommunistparty #jinmingri #xijinping #xinjiang #tibet #falungong #shinzoabe

Washington's shift from liberal‑values diplomacy toward a Christian‑nationalist framework is weakening the traditional basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance and turning religious freedom into a selective diplomatic tool. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/07/16/japan/us-japan-relations-next/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #us #coldwar #sovietunion #donaldtrump #christianity #china #usjapanrelations #dei #chinesecommunistparty #jinmingri #xijinping #xinjiang #tibet #falungong #shinzoabe

Thai court sentences two Uyghur men to death for 2015 Bangkok bombing https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/11/thai-court-sentences-uyghur-men-to-death-2015-bangkok-bombing #Thailand #WorldNews #AsiaPacific #Uyghurs #China #Xinjiang

Thai court sentences two Uyghur men to death for 2015 Bangkok bombing https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/11/thai-court-sentences-uyghur-men-to-death-2015-bangkok-bombing #Thailand #WorldNews #AsiaPacific #Uyghurs #China #Xinjiang

Thai court sentences two Uyghur men to death for 2015 Bangkok bombing https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/11/thai-court-sentences-uyghur-men-to-death-2015-bangkok-bombing #Thailand #WorldNews #AsiaPacific #Uyghurs #China #Xinjiang

Thai court sentences two Uyghur men to death for 2015 Bangkok bombing https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/11/thai-court-sentences-uyghur-men-to-death-2015-bangkok-bombing #Thailand #WorldNews #AsiaPacific #Uyghurs #China #Xinjiang

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🏔️🧊 Even the Pamir and Tien Shan #glaciers – long considered stable – are now melting fast.

In 2025, Kangxiwa Glacier lost 4 times its average annual #ice, driven by months of persistent heat and dark, #snow-free ice that absorbed more sunlight. Scientists confirm the region’s “#water tower” for Central #Asia is no longer resisting global trends.

👉 https://www.zmescience.com/science/the-last-stable-glaciers-on-earth-are-starting-to-collapse/

#climate #climatechange #pamir #tienshan #albedo #science #earth #mountains #xinjiang #heating #environment

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🏔️🧊 Even the Pamir and Tien Shan #glaciers – long considered stable – are now melting fast.

In 2025, Kangxiwa Glacier lost 4 times its average annual #ice, driven by months of persistent heat and dark, #snow-free ice that absorbed more sunlight. Scientists confirm the region’s “#water tower” for Central #Asia is no longer resisting global trends.

👉 https://www.zmescience.com/science/the-last-stable-glaciers-on-earth-are-starting-to-collapse/

#climate #climatechange #pamir #tienshan #albedo #science #earth #mountains #xinjiang #heating #environment

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🏔️🧊 Even the Pamir and Tien Shan #glaciers – long considered stable – are now melting fast.

In 2025, Kangxiwa Glacier lost 4 times its average annual #ice, driven by months of persistent heat and dark, #snow-free ice that absorbed more sunlight. Scientists confirm the region’s “#water tower” for Central #Asia is no longer resisting global trends.

👉 https://www.zmescience.com/science/the-last-stable-glaciers-on-earth-are-starting-to-collapse/

#climate #climatechange #pamir #tienshan #albedo #science #earth #mountains #xinjiang #heating #environment

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🏔️🧊 Even the Pamir and Tien Shan #glaciers – long considered stable – are now melting fast.

In 2025, Kangxiwa Glacier lost 4 times its average annual #ice, driven by months of persistent heat and dark, #snow-free ice that absorbed more sunlight. Scientists confirm the region’s “#water tower” for Central #Asia is no longer resisting global trends.

👉 https://www.zmescience.com/science/the-last-stable-glaciers-on-earth-are-starting-to-collapse/

#climate #climatechange #pamir #tienshan #albedo #science #earth #mountains #xinjiang #heating #environment

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🏔️🧊 Even the Pamir and Tien Shan #glaciers – long considered stable – are now melting fast.

In 2025, Kangxiwa Glacier lost 4 times its average annual #ice, driven by months of persistent heat and dark, #snow-free ice that absorbed more sunlight. Scientists confirm the region’s “#water tower” for Central #Asia is no longer resisting global trends.

👉 https://www.zmescience.com/science/the-last-stable-glaciers-on-earth-are-starting-to-collapse/

#climate #climatechange #pamir #tienshan #albedo #science #earth #mountains #xinjiang #heating #environment

Umha entrevista que deveriam ver estes "soberanistas" nossos, tan "internacionalistas" e "solidários" com os povos oprimidos, que estám a aplaudir que venha o Estado chinês fazer negócio ao/c'o nosso país: https://sobreviviraldescalabro.org/chiara-olivieri/

Vía @sobreviviraldescalabro

#Colonialismo #Soberania #Imperialismo #BNG #SAIC #uigurs #xinjiang #BoycottChina

China launches new war on deserts with technology tested on far side of the moon

China has launched a new offensive on desertification in western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous …
#Conflict #Conflicts #War #basaltfibre #China #ChineseAcademyofSciences #desertification #foodsecurity #InternationalLunarResearchStation #moon #PeiLiang #ScienceandTechnologyDaily #TaklamakanDesert #war #WuhanTextileUniversity #XiaoHuijie #xinjiang #XinjiangInstituteofEcologyandGeography
https://www.europesays.com/2996128/

Rescatan un leopardo de las nieves tras ser localizado fuera de su hábitat en Xinjiang

📰 Título original: Leopardo de las nieves es rescatado tras aparecer en desierto de China

🤖 IA: No es clickbait ✅
👥 Usuarios: No es clickbait ✅

Ver resumen IA completo: https://killbait.com/es/rescatan-un-leopardo-de-las-nieves-tras-ser-localizado-fuera-de-su-habitat-en-xinjiang/?redirpost=67d3f67d-6c26-4eab-bf84-463f36ea3ae3

#naturaleza #leopardodelasnieves #rescate #xinjiang

Rescatan un leopardo de las nieves tras ser localizado fuera de su hábitat en Xinjiang

📰 Título original: Leopardo de las nieves es rescatado tras aparecer en desierto de China

🤖 IA: No es clickbait ✅
👥 Usuarios: No es clickbait ✅

Ver resumen IA completo: https://killbait.com/es/rescatan-un-leopardo-de-las-nieves-tras-ser-localizado-fuera-de-su-habitat-en-xinjiang/?redirpost=67d3f67d-6c26-4eab-bf84-463f36ea3ae3

#naturaleza #leopardodelasnieves #rescate #xinjiang

Cimitero del deserto dopo 4.000 anni: pali e navi nella polvere dell’arido bacino di Tarim
https://www.jacoporanieri.com/blog/?p=44050

#luoghi #archeologia #ricerca #studio #scienza #scavi #deserto #cina #Xinjiang #civiltà #popoli #società #usanze #tombe #antichità #neolitico #mummie #defunti #tesori #teorie #viaggi #migrazioni #dune

De reis van Xuan Zang (1)

Ik ben niet zo vertrouwd met het boeddhisme, maar dankzij een blogje van Kees Alders weet ik dat in de eerste eeuw van onze jaartelling de boeddhistische stroming die bekendstaat als Mahayana zich vanuit de Punjab verspreidde tot in China. (Ik begrijp dat aanhangers van deze stroming denken dat niet alleen Boeddha, maar ieder mens in staat is verlicht te raken, en dat ze iemand die daarnaar streeft een Bodhisattva noemen.) De verspreiding van deze ideeën richting China was mogelijk doordat Centraal-Azië én de Punjab waren verenigd in het rijk van de Kushana’s.

Pelgrim en boekenzoeker

Uiteraard waren er vrome Chinese boeddhisten die geïnteresseerd waren in het land waar hun levensbeschouwelijke opvattingen waren ontstaan. Talloze pelgrims trokken over de Himalaya naar India. Ik blogde al eens over het onderzoek van de Leidse onderzoekster Marike van Aerde, die zich bezighoudt met de rotstekeningen uit het gebied van de Boven-Indus. Niet iedereen nam de weg over de hoge bergen. De Chinese reiziger Xuan Zang reisde vanuit Xinjiang langs een noordelijkere en westelijker route, door de Ferganavallei, door Sogdië en Baktrië, over de Hindu Kush en door Gandara naar de Punjab.

U moet bij een pelgrim niet per se denken aan een arme sloeber die de hele reis wandelend aflegt. Ook rijke mensen maakten pelgrimages. Ook moet u niet denken aan een reis die alleen maar gericht was op het bereiken van een heiligdom, want wie het buitenland bezocht maakte zó veel mee dat het jammer zou zijn er niet ten volle profijt van te hebben. Xuan Zang was ambitieus: hij maakte zich zorgen over het feit dat er in China uiteenlopende visies waren op het boeddhisme, die volgens hem samenhingen met het feit dat de grondteksten verkeerd waren vertaald. Dus was één van de doelen van zijn reis het bemachtigen van de originele teksten. Zeventien jaar lang reisde hij van klooster naar stad naar klooster naar stad.

Sogdië

Hij vertrok in 627, ongeveer vijfentwintig jaar oud, in het volle bewustzijn dat zijn leven niet zelden in gevaar zou zijn.

Het doel van mijn reis was niet het verwerven van persoonlijke gunsten. Het was omdat ik bezorgd was omdat de boeddhistische leer in mijn land onvolmaakt was doordat de geschriften onvolledig waren. Omdat ik zo veel twijfels had, ging ik op zoek naar de waarheid, en dus besloot ik om met gevaar voor eigen leven naar het Westen te reizen om leerstellingen te zoeken waarvan ik nog nooit had gehoord, opdat de dauw van het Mahayana-boeddhisme niet alleen langs de Ganges verspreid zou zijn, maar dat de sublieme waarheid ook bekend zou zijn in het oostelijke land.

En al snel bleek hoe veel gevaar hij liep. Hij reisde langs de noordelijke rand van de  Taklamakanwoestijn, waar al die boeddhistische grotschilderingen zijn gevonden die u nu in Berlijn kunt zien. Al vóór Xuan Zang het westelijke Kashgar had bereikt, was zijn karavaan overvallen door rovers. Die kregen vervolgens ruzie over de buit, waardoor het reisgezelschap zélf ongehinderd verder kon. Via een vroeg Turks rijk bereikte hij Tasjkent, Samarkand, Buchara en uiteindelijk Balch, het toenmalige Baktra. Daarop volgde Bamiyan, dat u zich wellicht herinnert van de enorme Boeddhabeelden die de Taliban in 2001 hebben vernietigd.

Gandara

De volgende halteplaats was Kapisa, niet ver van het huidige Kaboel. Waren de boeddhisten die hij tot dan toe had leren kennen soms nogal laks in de juiste leer geweest, vanaf nu was Xuan Zang in gebieden waar ze de Mahayana-leer volgden, al woonden er ook hindoes (“ketters die naakt rond lopen en stof op hun lichamen smeren”). Diverse stupa’s in deze regio zouden zijn gebouwd door Ashoka, de grootste koning van het Maurya-rijk.

Hier, in Gandara, bezocht Xuan Zang de belangrijke steden Peshawar en Pushkalavati, en vervolgens trok hij naar de rivier de Swat. Hij behandelt hier legenden over hoe Boeddha hier een van zijn eerdere levens, toen hij nog een Bodhisattva was, heeft doorgebracht. Na de Indus te hebben overgestoken (“een rivier vol giftige draken en gevaarlijke beesten”), bereikte hij Taxila, waar hij verbleef in een klooster om teksten te kopiëren. Korte tijd later deed hij datzelfde in Kasjmir. Dit is belangrijk, want deze regio is niet veel later door de moslims overgenomen en de oudere hindoeïstische en boeddhistische tradities zijn verloren gegaan.

[Wordt morgen vervolgd]

Deze blog, die u ook via het Whatsapp-kanaal kunt volgen, is niet mijn enige activiteit. In het voorjaar organiseer ik een reis naar Bulgarije en een andere reis langs Keltische locaties.

Zelfde tijdvak

#Ashoka #Baktra #Baktrië #Bamiyan #Boeddha #boeddhisme #Gandara #India #Kapilavastu #Kapisa #Kashgar #Kashmir #Mahayana #Punjab #Sogdië #TangDynastie #Xinjiang #XuanZang

Nello #Xinjiang "la #Cina è accusata di aver incarcerato circa 1 milione di persone appartenenti a questa minoranza musulmana."

#Uiguri #Thailand #Thailandia #HumanRights
#razzismo #28febbraio

https://diogenenotizie.com/thailandia-deporta-gli-uiguri-in-cina-rischiano-tortura-e-detenzione/

Nello #Xinjiang "la #Cina è accusata di aver incarcerato circa 1 milione di persone appartenenti a questa minoranza musulmana."

#Uiguri #Thailand #Thailandia #HumanRights
#razzismo #28febbraio

https://diogenenotizie.com/thailandia-deporta-gli-uiguri-in-cina-rischiano-tortura-e-detenzione/

Nello #Xinjiang "la #Cina è accusata di aver incarcerato circa 1 milione di persone appartenenti a questa minoranza musulmana."

#Uiguri #Thailand #Thailandia #HumanRights
#razzismo #28febbraio

https://diogenenotizie.com/thailandia-deporta-gli-uiguri-in-cina-rischiano-tortura-e-detenzione/

Nello #Xinjiang "la #Cina è accusata di aver incarcerato circa 1 milione di persone appartenenti a questa minoranza musulmana."

#Uiguri #Thailand #Thailandia #HumanRights
#razzismo #28febbraio

https://diogenenotizie.com/thailandia-deporta-gli-uiguri-in-cina-rischiano-tortura-e-detenzione/

This will be a better world if #China and the #US stop violating human rights. While the #Biden Administration has joined hands with #Israel to conduct the worst #genocide in human history, China is still committed #humanrights violation in #Tibet and East #Turkestan (aka #XinJiang).
#gaza #palestinians #palestine

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/un-human-rights-experts-urge-china-to-address-human-rights-violations-in-tibet-and-east-turkestan/

In #Xinjiang, #China, zeigt eine Studie bedeutende saisonale Unterschiede der #Niederschlagsmuster. Im warmen Sommer regnet es mindestens doppelt so viel wie im kalten Winter. Diese Ergebnisse, basierend auf Daten von 105 Wetterstationen zwischen 2011 und 2020, zeigen auch, dass die #Regenmenge in höheren Lagen zunimmt. Im Sommer konzentrieren sich starke #Regenfälle oft von Abend bis frühmorgens, während im Winter tagsüber mehr #Niederschlag fällt.

#Wasserressourcen

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1377286/full

In #Xinjiang, #China, zeigt eine Studie bedeutende saisonale Unterschiede der #Niederschlagsmuster. Im warmen Sommer regnet es mindestens doppelt so viel wie im kalten Winter. Diese Ergebnisse, basierend auf Daten von 105 Wetterstationen zwischen 2011 und 2020, zeigen auch, dass die #Regenmenge in höheren Lagen zunimmt. Im Sommer konzentrieren sich starke #Regenfälle oft von Abend bis frühmorgens, während im Winter tagsüber mehr #Niederschlag fällt.

#Wasserressourcen

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1377286/full

#Deutschland #China #Xinjiang #Uiguren #VW

#Minderheiten #Arbeitslager #Aufgabe #VWWerk

Nach dem Rückzug von BASF aus Xinjiang -

VW soll raus aus Uigurenprovinz

https://taz.de/Nach-dem-Rueckzug-von-BASF-aus-Xinjiang/!5991533/

‘The hottest year’: 10 #ExtremeWeather events in 2023

Record-breaking #HeatWaves swept across much of #Asia, #Europe and #NorthAmerica. Scientists confirm that 2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history.

By Raja Aiman
Dec. 27, 2023

It is official: 2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history.

The confirmation comes after an “extraordinary” November which smashed previous records, pushing the year’s global average temperature to 1.46 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to Europe’s climate monitor #Copernicus #ClimateChange Service.

Prior to the COP28 summit held in Dubai early this month, the United Nations had already declared 2023 the warmest year on record. Just based on the first 10 months of the year, global temperatures were around 1.4°C above the pre-industrial average, according to data from the World Meteorological Organisation.

This year, the return of El Niño conditions after three years of the cooling La Niña weather pattern has also sparked a chain reaction of extreme weather events, including bringing supercharged heat to cities across the world.

According to The World Weather Attribution group, an international coalition of climate scientists, the heatwaves experienced in South and Southeast Asia in 2023 was made 30 times more likely due to human-caused climate change.

Eco-Business tracks the impact of the heat waves on Asia and beyond, and looks back at the biggest extreme weather events of the year:

1. Record breaking heat scorches Asia

Beginning in April this year, countries across Asia was hit by brutal heatwaves, setting records as temperatures soared.

Many parts of #Bangladesh, #India, #Thailand and #Laos saw record high temperatures in April. Temperatures were as high as 45.4°C in the city of #TakThailand, for example. Casualties and hospitalisations due to heat stroke were reported in #MaharashtraIndia.

On 6 May, #Vietnam recorded its highest temperature ever at 44.1°C in #ThanhHoa province, south of #Hanoi. The heat wave forced Vietnamese authorities to turn off street lights and ration electricity to avoid overwhelming the power grid, especially as cities saw a surge in the demand for airconditioning.

With the arrival of summer in the Northern hemisphere, large swatches of #China saw blistering temperatures that triggered public health warnings. Temperatures at #Sanbao, a remote township in #Xinjiang’s Turpan Depression reached a national record high of 52.2°C at one point. China’s capital Beijing suffered through 27 consecutive days of temperatures above 35°C, leading to a temporary ban on outdoor work.

Globally, 2023 saw the warmest June, July, August, October and November on record since scientists began keeping track in the mid-19th century.

2. #Floods destroy neighbourhoods in #Libya

On 10 September, #StormDaniel swept across north-eastern Libya, bringing ferocious winds and massive rainfall that led to catastrophic floods that broke dams near the eastern city of #Derna and wiped out entire neighbourhoods in the African country.

More than 4,300 people were killed by the storm. Significant damage was done to buildings, bridges, roads, electricity grids and other infrastructure, affecting thousands of families.

3. Heavy snow blankets #LosAngeles

Los Angeles is synonymous with sunshine, but in February this year, areas around the city were covered in snow after a powerful winter storm descended upon southern California in the United States, bringing icy temperatures, fierce winds, heavy snowfall and causing rivers to swell dangerously. The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued four homeless people stranded in a major flood control basin of the Los Angeles River, and two of them were taken to hospital with hypothermia.

More than 120,000 California utility customers were without electricity due to the storm and multiday measurements saw an astounding 205 centimetres of snow recorded at the Mountain High resort in the northeast of Los Angeles. Snowfall was seen at elevations as low as 305 metres.

4. #CycloneFreddy devastates south-eastern #Africa

After developing off the coast of Australia, Cyclone Freddy travelled more than 8,000 kilometres across the South Indian Ocean before making landfall in Madagascar in February. For over a month, the cyclone tore through #Madagascar, #Malawi, #Mozambique and #Zimbabwe, killing over 1000 people and leaving over half a million displaced. By damaging water and sanitation facilities, it also played a part in the worst outbreak of cholera in Malawi.

Cyclone Freddy holds both records for the most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) – which is a measurement of a storm’s strength over its lifetime – and for the longest lasting tropical cyclone.

5. Severe #sandstorms strike 3Beijing

On 22 March, the largest sandstorm of the year hit #BeijingChina, engulfing the capital in sand and dust. Particles with density of PM10 – which are particles of pollution that are smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter and can travel to the lungs – reached a peak concentration of 1,667 micrograms per cubic metre according to the Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Centre. This far exceeds the daily average guideline of 45 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organization.

The sandstorm caused the city’s parks to suspend operations of cruise boats and cable cars, while people were urged to stay indoors. Beijing is often hit by sandstorms in the spring, and this has been worsened by industrial activity and rapid #deforestation in northern China.

6. #CycloneMocha ravages #Myanmar

Cyclone Mocha wreaked havoc in Myanmar in May, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The cyclone, characterised by 250-kilometre-per-hour winds, is the strongest cyclone in the #BayOfBengal in the last 10 years.

An estimated 5.4 million people were in the path of the cyclone across the state of #Rakhine and north-western Myanmar, and the cyclone killed 145 people and inflicted severe damage to public infrastructure including hospitals, banks and religious buildings. Approximately 80 per cent of schools and educational infrastructure were damaged ahead of the new school term in Myanmar, affecting the education of many students.

7. #Australia bakes in spring #heatwave

In September, much of Australia’s southeast region, was hit by a spring heatwave. Temperatures in #Sydney reached 34.2°C a staggering 12 degrees higher than the September average.

The Bureau of Meterology called the heat “very uncommon for September”.

Soaring temperatures caused 26 participants at the Sydney marathon to be taken to hospital and another 40 runners treated for heat exhaustion.

8. #TyphoonMawar pummels the #Philippines, #Japan, #Guam and #Taiwan

In May, Typhoon Mawar hit Guam and the Philippines, then lashed Taiwan and southern Japan. The Category 5 Super Typhoon, with winds of up to 180 miles per hour (289 kilometres per hour) is the strongest storm in 2023.

Guam was flooded and most of the island’s residents were left without power and electricity for weeks. The government of Guam estimated the commercial sector of the US territory suffered $112 million of damage.

In the #Philippines, thousands of people in the coastal areas were evacuated, while schools closed and flights were cancelled.

Greenpeace Phillipines campaigner Jefferson Chua said: “The Philippines is in a constant state of emergency. #SuperTyphoons are the Philippines’ new normal, even as we are already experiencing longer-term, slow onset impacts such as drought, sea level rise, and diminishing resources.”

9. #Europe and US swelter under #ExtremeHeat

Europe experienced some of its hottest temperatures in July, bringing with it heat advisories, raging wildfires and massive evacuations.

The Italian island of #Sardinia saw temperatures push to 47°C and the #Palermo airport in Sicily had to close after being encircled by #wildfire.

#Wildfires also caused more than 20,000 people to flee the Greek island of #Rhodes. It was the largest wildfire evacuation in #Greece.

The heat extended to the oceans, with sea temperatures rising to unsafe levels around Greece, #Spain, #Turkey and #Italy.

In America, temperatures in California’s #DeathValley reached 53.3°C, coming close to breaking the global record. The US National Weather Service issued a warning of a “widespread and oppressive” heatwave in the southern and western states. More than 80 million people were affected.

10. Record heat brings deadly wildfires to #Chile

Record summer temperatures soared to more than 40°C in Chile in February, sparking wildfires in the South American country that killed 24 people and burnt 270,000 hectares of land. A state of emergency was declared in three regions in the country.

Chile’s interior minister Carolina Toha said: “The thermometer has reached points that we have never known until now. The evolution of climate change shows us again and again that this has a centrality and a capacity to cause an impact that we have to internalise much more.”

Source:
https://www.eco-business.com/news/the-hottest-year-10-extreme-weather-events-in-2023/

#ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe #Weather2023 #WeatherExtremes #ExtremeHeat

‘The hottest year’: 10 #ExtremeWeather events in 2023

Record-breaking #HeatWaves swept across much of #Asia, #Europe and #NorthAmerica. Scientists confirm that 2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history.

By Raja Aiman
Dec. 27, 2023

It is official: 2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history.

The confirmation comes after an “extraordinary” November which smashed previous records, pushing the year’s global average temperature to 1.46 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to Europe’s climate monitor #Copernicus #ClimateChange Service.

Prior to the COP28 summit held in Dubai early this month, the United Nations had already declared 2023 the warmest year on record. Just based on the first 10 months of the year, global temperatures were around 1.4°C above the pre-industrial average, according to data from the World Meteorological Organisation.

This year, the return of El Niño conditions after three years of the cooling La Niña weather pattern has also sparked a chain reaction of extreme weather events, including bringing supercharged heat to cities across the world.

According to The World Weather Attribution group, an international coalition of climate scientists, the heatwaves experienced in South and Southeast Asia in 2023 was made 30 times more likely due to human-caused climate change.

Eco-Business tracks the impact of the heat waves on Asia and beyond, and looks back at the biggest extreme weather events of the year:

1. Record breaking heat scorches Asia

Beginning in April this year, countries across Asia was hit by brutal heatwaves, setting records as temperatures soared.

Many parts of #Bangladesh, #India, #Thailand and #Laos saw record high temperatures in April. Temperatures were as high as 45.4°C in the city of #TakThailand, for example. Casualties and hospitalisations due to heat stroke were reported in #MaharashtraIndia.

On 6 May, #Vietnam recorded its highest temperature ever at 44.1°C in #ThanhHoa province, south of #Hanoi. The heat wave forced Vietnamese authorities to turn off street lights and ration electricity to avoid overwhelming the power grid, especially as cities saw a surge in the demand for airconditioning.

With the arrival of summer in the Northern hemisphere, large swatches of #China saw blistering temperatures that triggered public health warnings. Temperatures at #Sanbao, a remote township in #Xinjiang’s Turpan Depression reached a national record high of 52.2°C at one point. China’s capital Beijing suffered through 27 consecutive days of temperatures above 35°C, leading to a temporary ban on outdoor work.

Globally, 2023 saw the warmest June, July, August, October and November on record since scientists began keeping track in the mid-19th century.

2. #Floods destroy neighbourhoods in #Libya

On 10 September, #StormDaniel swept across north-eastern Libya, bringing ferocious winds and massive rainfall that led to catastrophic floods that broke dams near the eastern city of #Derna and wiped out entire neighbourhoods in the African country.

More than 4,300 people were killed by the storm. Significant damage was done to buildings, bridges, roads, electricity grids and other infrastructure, affecting thousands of families.

3. Heavy snow blankets #LosAngeles

Los Angeles is synonymous with sunshine, but in February this year, areas around the city were covered in snow after a powerful winter storm descended upon southern California in the United States, bringing icy temperatures, fierce winds, heavy snowfall and causing rivers to swell dangerously. The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued four homeless people stranded in a major flood control basin of the Los Angeles River, and two of them were taken to hospital with hypothermia.

More than 120,000 California utility customers were without electricity due to the storm and multiday measurements saw an astounding 205 centimetres of snow recorded at the Mountain High resort in the northeast of Los Angeles. Snowfall was seen at elevations as low as 305 metres.

4. #CycloneFreddy devastates south-eastern #Africa

After developing off the coast of Australia, Cyclone Freddy travelled more than 8,000 kilometres across the South Indian Ocean before making landfall in Madagascar in February. For over a month, the cyclone tore through #Madagascar, #Malawi, #Mozambique and #Zimbabwe, killing over 1000 people and leaving over half a million displaced. By damaging water and sanitation facilities, it also played a part in the worst outbreak of cholera in Malawi.

Cyclone Freddy holds both records for the most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) – which is a measurement of a storm’s strength over its lifetime – and for the longest lasting tropical cyclone.

5. Severe #sandstorms strike 3Beijing

On 22 March, the largest sandstorm of the year hit #BeijingChina, engulfing the capital in sand and dust. Particles with density of PM10 – which are particles of pollution that are smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter and can travel to the lungs – reached a peak concentration of 1,667 micrograms per cubic metre according to the Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Centre. This far exceeds the daily average guideline of 45 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organization.

The sandstorm caused the city’s parks to suspend operations of cruise boats and cable cars, while people were urged to stay indoors. Beijing is often hit by sandstorms in the spring, and this has been worsened by industrial activity and rapid #deforestation in northern China.

6. #CycloneMocha ravages #Myanmar

Cyclone Mocha wreaked havoc in Myanmar in May, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The cyclone, characterised by 250-kilometre-per-hour winds, is the strongest cyclone in the #BayOfBengal in the last 10 years.

An estimated 5.4 million people were in the path of the cyclone across the state of #Rakhine and north-western Myanmar, and the cyclone killed 145 people and inflicted severe damage to public infrastructure including hospitals, banks and religious buildings. Approximately 80 per cent of schools and educational infrastructure were damaged ahead of the new school term in Myanmar, affecting the education of many students.

7. #Australia bakes in spring #heatwave

In September, much of Australia’s southeast region, was hit by a spring heatwave. Temperatures in #Sydney reached 34.2°C a staggering 12 degrees higher than the September average.

The Bureau of Meterology called the heat “very uncommon for September”.

Soaring temperatures caused 26 participants at the Sydney marathon to be taken to hospital and another 40 runners treated for heat exhaustion.

8. #TyphoonMawar pummels the #Philippines, #Japan, #Guam and #Taiwan

In May, Typhoon Mawar hit Guam and the Philippines, then lashed Taiwan and southern Japan. The Category 5 Super Typhoon, with winds of up to 180 miles per hour (289 kilometres per hour) is the strongest storm in 2023.

Guam was flooded and most of the island’s residents were left without power and electricity for weeks. The government of Guam estimated the commercial sector of the US territory suffered $112 million of damage.

In the #Philippines, thousands of people in the coastal areas were evacuated, while schools closed and flights were cancelled.

Greenpeace Phillipines campaigner Jefferson Chua said: “The Philippines is in a constant state of emergency. #SuperTyphoons are the Philippines’ new normal, even as we are already experiencing longer-term, slow onset impacts such as drought, sea level rise, and diminishing resources.”

9. #Europe and US swelter under #ExtremeHeat

Europe experienced some of its hottest temperatures in July, bringing with it heat advisories, raging wildfires and massive evacuations.

The Italian island of #Sardinia saw temperatures push to 47°C and the #Palermo airport in Sicily had to close after being encircled by #wildfire.

#Wildfires also caused more than 20,000 people to flee the Greek island of #Rhodes. It was the largest wildfire evacuation in #Greece.

The heat extended to the oceans, with sea temperatures rising to unsafe levels around Greece, #Spain, #Turkey and #Italy.

In America, temperatures in California’s #DeathValley reached 53.3°C, coming close to breaking the global record. The US National Weather Service issued a warning of a “widespread and oppressive” heatwave in the southern and western states. More than 80 million people were affected.

10. Record heat brings deadly wildfires to #Chile

Record summer temperatures soared to more than 40°C in Chile in February, sparking wildfires in the South American country that killed 24 people and burnt 270,000 hectares of land. A state of emergency was declared in three regions in the country.

Chile’s interior minister Carolina Toha said: “The thermometer has reached points that we have never known until now. The evolution of climate change shows us again and again that this has a centrality and a capacity to cause an impact that we have to internalise much more.”

Source:
https://www.eco-business.com/news/the-hottest-year-10-extreme-weather-events-in-2023/

#ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe #Weather2023 #WeatherExtremes #ExtremeHeat

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