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On 20 July 2021, an extreme rainstorm battered Zhengzhou in China's Henan Province, killing 302 people, including 14 individuals who drowned in a subway tunnel and 6 who drowned in a road tunnel. As the global climate warms, extreme weather events similar to the Zhengzhou flood will become more frequent, with increasingly catastrophic consequences for society. Taking a case study-based approach by focusing on the record-breaking Zhengzhou flood, this paper examines the governance capacity of inland cities in North China for managing extreme precipitation and flooding events from the perspective of the flood risk management process. Based on in-depth case analysis, our paper hypothesizes that inland cities in North China still have low risk perceptions of extreme weather events, which was manifested in insufficient pre-disaster preparation and prevention, poor risk communication, and slow emergency response. Accordingly, it is recommended that inland cities update their risk perceptions of extreme rainfall and flooding events, which are no longer low-probability, high-impact "black swans", but turning into high-probability, high-impact "gray rhinos." In particular, cities must make sufficient preparation for extreme weather events by revising contingency plans and strengthening their implementation, improving risk communication of meteorological warnings, and synchronizing emergency response with meteorological warnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, extreme weather events caused by global climate change have occurred frequently, intensifying the frequency of flood disasters. For flood hazard analysis, high-quality data and a reasonable weight assignment of the relevant factors are critical. This study conducts four rainfall fusion methods, to fuse the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 and the observations in Dazhou City, China. Then, the random forest was applied to obtain the weights of various factors to facilitate a comprehensive flood hazard analysis under four rainfall durations. The results show that (1) the linear regression performs best out of the four fusion methods, with a correlation coefficient of 0.56; (2) the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is the most impact factor with a weight of more than 0.2; and (3) the proposed flood analysis system performs well, as 70% of historical flood points are distributed in high and sub-high hazard areas and more than 93% of historical flood points are distributed in medium hazard areas. This study identified the flood hazard grade and distribution in Dazhou City, which could provide a valuable methodology to contribute to flood hazard analysis and disaster management with satellite rainfall. Furthermore, the results of this paper are profound for future work on the high-resolution flood risk assessment and management in Dazhou City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is having a significant impact on farmers and agriculture. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, are causing crop failures and reducing yields. This study evaluated existing publications from 2006 to 2022, using the Web of Science database, Citespace, and the Bibliometrix package in R language for a systematic analysis. A total of 426 publications were identified, written by 1449 authors from 56 countries. The results showed that China has the highest share of publications (16.4%), followed by the United States (14.3%) and Australia (6.8%), with China and Pakistan collaborating most frequently. The keyword timeline analysis from 2006 to 2022 identified 11 clusters of research topics related to farmers' climate change risk (CCRF). Cluster #1, "water conservation measures," had the longest duration, highlighting its significance. Key areas of CCRF research include the vulnerability of land-lost farmers, farmers' use of meteorological information, sources of risk, barriers to implementing conservation agriculture, farmers' attitudes towards heavy metal pollution, and the use of protection motivation theory in agricultural adaptation. In conclusion, climate change poses significant threats to farmers, impacting crop yields, soil fertility, and water availability. Farmers adopt adaptation strategies, but effectiveness varies due to resource limitations and policy gaps. The research on farmer adaptation to climate change is growing, emphasizing the need for supportive policies, resources, and knowledge-sharing to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies on China's arid and semi-arid regions, particularly the Tarim River Basin (TRB), have shown an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. This research examines the link between meteorological droughts, as measured by the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and hydrological droughts, as indicated by the Standardized Runoff Index (SRI) and the Standardized Terrestrial Water Storage Index (STI), over various time scales. Historical data indicate that SPEI drought frequency (DF) was 14.3–21.9%, with prevalent events in the northern oases. SRI DF ranged from 9.0% to 35.8%, concentrated around the Taklamakan and Kumtag Deserts, while STI DF varied between 4.4% and 32.7%, averaging 15% basin-wide. Future projections show an increased DF of SPEI in deserts and a decrease in oases; SRI DF decreased in deserts but increased in oases. STI changes were more moderate. The study also found a higher risk of drought progression from SPEI to SRI in the southwestern and northeastern oases, exceeding 50% probability, while central and eastern TRB had lower risks. The western TRB and inner Taklamakan Desert faced higher risks of SPEI to STI progression, with probabilities over 45%, in contrast to the lower risks in the eastern and central oases. The concurrence of SRI/STI with moderate to extreme SPEI droughts led to a higher probability and area of SRI/STI droughts, whereas consistent SPEI types showed a reduced induced probability and extent of SRI/STI droughts. This study enhances the understanding of drought propagation from meteorological to hydrological droughts in the TRB and contributes to the prevention of hydrological drought to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial planning is broadly acknowledged for its pivotal role in local climate change adaptation. Nevertheless, variations persist among countries in their perceptions and practices concerning the effectiveness and feasibility of utilizing spatial planning for climate change adaptation. Chinese cities confront the challenges of global warming, rapid urbanization, and intensified extreme weather events. Climate change adaptation agreements, frameworks, and policies have predominantly emphasized the national scale, often overlooking local adaptation efforts. However, the ongoing reform and restructuring of China's territorial and spatial planning system encompasses the categorization, hierarchical management, control of comprehensive national land resource development, and conservation. This process is gradually establishing spatial planning strategies that synergize with the impacts of climate change, thereby offering an opportunity to integrate climate change adaptation objectives into spatial planning. This endeavor is supported by a series of regulatory standards and guidelines to ensure its effective implementation. The study scrutinizes the public draft of territorial and spatial master plans for 368 Chinese cities to assess the integration of climate change concerns at the local level and to identify disparities among cities. Employing the Awareness, Analysis, and Action Framework (3A Framework), which draws from prior scholarship and integrates relevant existing research, we identified and assessed 30 criteria for recognizing and appraising climate change adaptation strategies in territorial and spatial planning. The study's findings indicate that: (1) The role of territorial and spatial planning in integrating climate change issues at the city level requires enhancement, as reflected in the generally low "awareness" of climate change concerns, limited "analytical capacity" regarding climate change, and a certain foundation for "action response" to climate change adaptation; (2) Large cities, characterized by robust economies and population concentrations, generally outperform small and medium-sized cities. They exhibit a superior ability to delineate quantifiable climate adaptation indicators and measures. In conclusion, the study provides prospective recommendations concerning technical approaches, spatial governance, mechanisms, and actions to more effectively incorporate climate change adaptation objectives into local-level territorial and spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]