EIn the summer, China’s second largest freshwater lake, Dongting Lake, grows in size as floodwaters from the Yangtze River flow into the border. Dams and embankments are built around the edges of the lake to prevent flooding. But not for the first time this year, they were blown away.
Over three days in early July, more than 800 rescue workers scrambled to stop the invasion in Hunan province. Zhang Yingchun, a Hunan provincial official, said 100,000 cubic meters of rock was needed to seal off just one breach. At least 7,000 people had to be evacuated. This was one of a series of disasters to hit China during a summer of extreme weather. According to state media, there have been 25 major floods so far in August, the most since records began in 1998.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has “urged all efforts to carry out rescue and relief operations” to protect people affected by the floods in Hunan province, state media reported.
One of them is Nobu Ren Ben, an archaeologist who lives on a small forested island in the upper reaches of Dongting Lake. He calls his idyllic home Soultopia. In addition to conducting archaeological research, he also provides lodging for tourists and cares for a flock of stray cats and dogs that he has adopted over the years.
On July 5, his home was flooded. “First I rescued the animals. Then I rescued supplies,” he said. “It’s been 10 years since I experienced something like this.”
The wooden hut on the corner of the island where Len lives was almost completely submerged in muddy water. To avoid drowning, the chickens used the remains of destroyed buildings as rafts. Len traversed the island in a small plastic dinghy. One of his dogs, Eason, became ill after drinking dirty flood water and died a few days later.
“Two years ago we had a severe drought, and this year we had flooding. I think we need to be prepared for anything,” Ren said.
Experiences like Ren’s are becoming more common in China, as global warming makes extreme weather more likely and undermines communities’ defenses against disasters.
Dongting Hu embodies these challenges. It was once the largest freshwater lake in China. However, decades of agricultural development have led to large tracts of land being reclaimed for agricultural use, reducing the lake’s water storage capacity. Droughts and floods are both becoming more severe and severe.
In 2024, major flooding occurred in at least six provinces in China. As well as the Hunan floods, heavy rains in Guangdong, China’s most populous province, have forced more than 110,000 people to relocate. After years of treating weather disasters as isolated events requiring local responses, Chinese authorities are increasingly recognizing the need to adapt to extreme weather events on a national scale.
“The harsh reality is here: A lack of climate action will harm China and threaten social security,” said Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asian Social Policy Research Institute.
At the United Nations Climate Crisis Conference Cop29 in November, China announced an action plan for climate adaptation, established a technology platform to monitor and predict extreme weather events, and agreed to share knowledge on improving early warning mechanisms. I made it clear.
It marks a shift in a country that has long acknowledged the science of the climate crisis but focused its clean-up efforts on problems such as air pollution rather than severe but relatively rare floods and droughts. Ta.
“China’s leadership tends to look at the long game,” Li said. “To show their foresight and prevent further risks, more needs to be done to systematically prepare for the impacts of climate change.”
For flood victims like Len, formal recognition and compensation for the damage caused by the climate crisis cannot come soon enough. The restoration work cost more than 70,000 yuan (£7,600), but authorities sent several rescue workers.
For now, Ren is developing his own ways to adapt to climate change. Since his house was destroyed by floods, he has avoided electrical appliances and uses a wood burner for cooking and heating. He plans to build a new house suspended from trees to protect it from flooding.
“I think extreme weather events are happening more often now, so you have to be prepared for anything. If I like a place, I’ll stay there.”
Additional research by Chi-hui Lin and Jason Tzu Kuan Lu
