Citation:
Abstract:
Since July, China has experienced the most severe heatwave ever recorded in the world, compounded by the worst drought since record-keeping began in the country six decades ago (1). The areas hardest hit by the combined heatwave and drought fall along the Yangtze River basin, a populous and immense industrial economic belt. Impacts range from disruptions in global supply chains (2) to reductions in habitat for critically endangered species such as the Yangtze finless porpoise. Long-term anticipatory policies are needed to mitigate these far-reaching effects, in China and beyond, yet the current policy approach favors short-term solutions that are ill-equipped to tackle persistent climatic extremes in an era of climate catastrophe.
Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, located along the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, is illustrative of the devastation triggered by this summer’s extreme weather. Suffering from more than 100 days of drought and counting, the lake has shrunk by nearly 90% (3). Numerous rare fishes, porpoises, and more than 700,000 migratory birds have been affected (3). The number of Yangtze finless porpoises, for example, was about 700 in 2021 (4), but few were found this October, mainly due to grounding and food shortages triggered by the drought (5). Poyang Lake has been listed as a wetland of international importance since 1992 (6) and provides key habitat for overwintering migratory birds, including white cranes and red-crowned cranes, yet the ongoing drought jeopardizes this critical habitat (3).
China’s drought is extreme, but not exceptional. Since July, extreme heatwaves and persistent drought have swept across Europe, North America, and Asia (7). Climate change has led to a 20-fold increase in the likelihood of Northern Hemisphere droughts in 2022, with the frequency, spatial extent, and severity anticipated to continue to increase throughout the century (8). As drought and extreme weather events become increasingly endemic, policy responses must shift from short-term reactive strategies to long-term proactive measures.
Establishing a drought early monitoring and warning system that operates at timescales longer than 2 years and at regional rather than local levels is paramount. Better drought information and predictions would permit water regulation among different sectors and industries across larger geographies and timeframes. Drought impacts can be mitigated by harnessing the full potential of engineering projects, such as transferring water to lakes and reservoirs above Poyang Lake to avoid ecological catastrophe (9). Nature-based solutions, such as wetland restoration, will help mitigate long-term impacts to critically endangered species. Protecting, managing, and using low-lying, shallow lake areas can provide critical habitat for species during low-flow periods. Through a range of engineered and nature-based solutions, drought-stricken regions can develop long-term approaches to mitigating extreme weather events in the age of climate change.