China’s shrinking ‘kidney’ lake lays bare growing climate challenges
Normally surrounded by water in August, a pagoda-topped island in China’s Poyang Lake is now fully visible, testifying to the dramatic impact of a long drought and heatwave on a vital part of the country’s irrigation infrastructure. This year, as a record heatwave throughout the Yangtze basin stretches beyond 70 days, the lake has shrunk far earlier than usual and is just a fifth of its size of a few months ago.
