Urban flaws surface as the snow piles up

Combating extreme conditions

Q+A: Zhang Chengyi

Zhang Chengyi, a climate change expert from the China Meteorological Administration, is an experienced researcher into extreme weather systems.

Q: What do cities learn from the increasing occurrence of extreme weather?

A: Unexpected weather such as typhoons, severe drought, floods and snowstorms, which are a result of climate change, have had a huge impact on people's lives, especially through property losses and personal injury. These things have rung alarm bells for the central government and have prompted an upgrade of the emergency measures in major cities. As periods of extreme weather are becoming more frequent, I would suggest that measures to combat those conditions are included in the designs of new cities, their infrastructure and industries.

What can be done for places that are vulnerable to extreme weather, but conditions mean major changes are hard to implement?

The necessary reinforcement and renovation work must be carried out soon. By this, I mean measures such as deepening the foundation layers of buildings to make them less susceptible to flooding. The cost of deepening the foundation layers by 30 or 50 centimeters would not be excessive, but in the event of extreme weather conditions, the improvements would result in huge savings in rescue and relief funding, and, more importantly, they would help to save lives.

What else should be stressed?

China has spared no effort in its rescue and relief operations, but the investment required in the aftermath of natural disasters far outweighs the amount we have invested in preventative work. More attention must be paid to improving the flow of information about extreme weather management and prevention. Also, we need to establish a disaster-warning mechanism to help reduce the economic impact and keep the loss of life to a minimum.

He Na