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From China to Germany, floods expose climate vulnerability
(Reuters, 22 Jul 2021) Deadly floods in China and Germany have highlighted the vulnerability of heavily populated areas to catastrophic flooding and other natural disasters.
Deadly floods that have upended life in both China and Germany have sent a stark reminder that climate change is making weather more extreme across the globe.
At least 25 people in the central Chinese province of Henan died on Tuesday, including a dozen trapped in a city subway as waters tore through the regional capital of Zhengzhou after days of torrential rain.
Coming after floods killed at least 160 people in Germany and another 31 in Belgium last week, the disaster has reinforced the message that significant changes will have to be made to prepare for similar events in future.
"Governments should first realize that the infrastructure they have built in the past or even recent ones are vulnerable to these extreme weather events," said Eduardo Araral, associate professor and co-director, Institute of Water Policy, at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
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Reuters, 22 Jul 2021: From China to Germany, floods expose climate vulnerability
