China’s Fatal Heat Shows Risks of Another Scorching Asian Summer
- Searing summer temperatures have come earlier than normal
- Factory activity curtailed in some areas on lack of hydropower
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Sweltering temperatures across China are killing livestock and stretching power grids, an early heat wave that portends another summer of disruption for Asia’s industry and food supply.
The mercury has been rising in nearly every corner of the world’s second-largest economy. In southern regions, electricity demand hit peak levels in late May, a month earlier than last year, while Beijing in the north is expected to see temperatures hit a high of 37C (98F) on Wednesday. Shanghai broke a 150-year-old record for the highest-ever May temperature last week.