World News

Japan tells millions to save electricity as record heat wave strains power supply

June 28, 2022

The government urged citizens in the capital to switch off lights and power switches for three hours in the afternoon and use air conditioning “appropriately” as the country grapples with a growing power shortage.

The request comes despite warnings from experts that record-setting temperatures could continue for weeks.

“Please save as much electricity as possible, such as by turning off unused lights,” the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Monday. It said proper use of air conditioning includes “preventing heatstroke”.

Japan’s electricity supply has been tight since March, when an earthquake in the northeast forced some nuclear power plants to suspend operations. Also demand is at its highest level since 2011, when Japan was hardest hit. earthquake in its recorded history. The ministry warned that the mismatch between supply and demand was becoming “serious”.
But with the recent temperature . rising up to dangerous levelRationing of electricity will not be easy.

Tokyo experienced scorching heat for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday after setting a record for the month of June over the weekend.

On Saturday, temperatures in the capital soared to 35.4 °C (about 96 Fahrenheit), while the city of Issaki, northwest of Tokyo, recorded 40.2 °C (about 104 Fahrenheit) – the country’s highest record in June since 1875. . Meanwhile, the city of Nagano in central Japan recorded 35.1 °C (about 95 Fahrenheit) and 36.7 °C (about 98 Fahrenheit) in Takada District of Niigata Prefecture on the west coast.

Extreme temperatures are forecast to last for the rest of the week and potentially worsen – meaning electricity demand is likely to increase as residents stay indoors and turn on air conditioning.

People wearing face masks are seen in the Ginza district of Tokyo on June 26, 2022.
Japan’s heat wave is one of many Is happening As scientists warn around the world, extreme weather is becoming more frequent due to worsening climate crisis,
rising temperature India and Pakistan have in recent weeks forced schools to close, damaged crops, strained energy supplies and kept residents indoors – some experts questioned whether such was the heat suitable for human existence.
More than 125 million people in heat alert across US
and a huge heat dome Parts of the United States have been gripped, bringing temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 37 Celsius) in major metro areas including Minneapolis, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans and Atlanta.

In addition to the heat, flooding has flooded Yellowstone National Park, wildfires have raged in Arizona and New Mexico, and severe storms have caused widespread power outages in the upper Midwest and Ohio River Valley.

“More frequent and intense heat waves in cities can be expected with global warming,” said Winston Chow, a climate scientist at Singapore Management University’s College of Integrative Studies.

“I’m afraid that for such places, it is [now] The new climate normal … if nothing is done to adapt and mitigate the causes of climate change.”

Particularly worrying, Chou said, was the effects of extreme heat on the elderly, who make up 28% of Japan’s population.

“The elderly are biologically, physically more vulnerable to heat-related injuries, and more than a quarter of Japan’s are over the age of 65. The risk of heat stress and stroke without any effort to adapt is Tokyo.” I’ll have a lot more,” Chou said.