In this country where the population is increasingly keen on winter sports, visitors have traded sunglasses and T-shirts for ski suits. At the top of one of those snowy slopes, snowboarder Jessica Zhang didn't seem fazed by the announcement of yet another record-breaking temperature this summer in China. “When it comes to climate, I feel like there are ups and downs in temperature — maybe every two years or so, there's a record year for heat,” she says.
Heat record
China recorded its hottest August since 1961 this year, the national weather service said, with an average temperature of 22.6 degrees. “Northern regions experienced frequent and highly destructive storms, while large-scale heat waves persisted in ski regions,” said Jia Xiaolong, deputy director of the national climate center.
STRINGER / AFP
Much of the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe to Asia, has been hit by particularly strong heat waves in recent weeks. From June to August, the three months of Northern Hemisphere summer saw the highest average global temperature ever measured, already breaking the record set in 2023, the European Copernicus Observatory announced on Friday. And climatologists have already predicted that 2024 will be the hottest year ever recorded on Earth due to global warming.
Energy consumer
China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, which scientists say are responsible for climate change, even as the country has become a leader in renewable energy in recent years. He has pledged to peak emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Despite record temperatures regularly recorded, strong government support and growing middle-class interest in winter sports have boosted the ski industry from China, especially since Beijing hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics.
HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
China is the world leader in indoor ski slopes, taking half of the world's top 10, according to Shanghai-based Daxue Consulting. In August, a report by local authorities in Shanghai acknowledged that this type of project “will inevitably consume a lot of energy.” But he stressed that the new complex inaugurated on Friday was built with the aim of maximizing energy reuse, thanks in particular to ice storage and a waste heat recovery system, as well as extensive photovoltaic installations on the roofs.