Shijiazhuang – Temperatures over 40°C in Shijiazhuang, a second-tier city on the outskirts of Beijing, last week are putting 2024 already on track with alarming new trends in extreme heat that a Greenpeace East Asia analysis has identified, with a marked increase in the number of days with temperatures above 35°C, 37°C, and 40°C.

Greenpeace East Asia campaigner Zhou Chuhan said:

“Outdoor workers are particularly at risk in extreme heat. Reduced working hours prevent health risks, but not working presents its own climate risk – lost income. Missing out on paychecks is not an option for many people like delivery drivers and streetkeepers. They perform essential functions for society despite working under minimum protection. As a multitude of climate impacts hit China, people’s lives and livelihoods are impacted. The economic losses associated with climate change don’t stop at infrastructure and industry. People’s wellbeing is also at risk.” 

In 2023, Shijiazhuang had a total of nine days with extreme heat above 40°C, which is a record for the city. Between 2000 and 2020, there were 17 total days with temperatures above 40℃, and the yearly average for days with extreme heat over 35℃ was 19 days, and for extreme heat over 37℃, the average was 7 days. Across China, the cumulative number of days with temperatures above 35°C is increasing at an average rate of 4.8 days per decade, according to data from China’s Climate Center. 

China’s extreme heat days are also starting earlier and earlier in the season. Every summer, the first instance of a day with heat over 35°C is occurring earlier, at a rate of 2.5 days earlier per decade. The average first days with heat over 35°C from 1981 to 1990 comes out to June 24. In 2024, the day with heat over 35°C was May 28. 

And the size of areas impacted by heat waves is on average getting larger. The area of impact for heat waves is also becoming larger. From 1981 to 1990, the average number of stations recording heat waves in a year was 258 stations. From 2011 to 2020, the average was 328 stations.

Zhou said:

“Responding to climate change is a multifold effort. As the world turns to renewable energy to reduce our emissions, we have to also think about how to adapt to an increasingly inhospitable environment. The key question is how to take care of the most exposed and vulnerable. Localized efforts that enable our communities to prepare for and respond to climate risk will build the resilience we need to face global climate change.”

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

Qilin Liu, Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing, ([email protected])

Greenpeace International Press Desk, [email protected], +31 20 718 2470 (24 hours)