Global weather chaos is also shrivelling Asia’s crop production

Much of Australia's east coast is still gripped by a drought that began more than two years ago. And scientists say they're now seeing the same pattern of extreme weather that's gripped Europe in Asia [Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg]

In a year when record heat is scorching Europe and the heaviest rain in decades has inundated parts of the U.S. Midwest, the Asia Pacific region is suffering from its own maelstrom of extreme weather.

1年に記録的な暑さがヨーロッパをむしばみ、数十年で最も多くの雨がアメリカの一部を氾濫させ、アジア・太平洋地域の西部では異常気象による大混乱を引き起こしている。

Drought, and floods in some areas, have devastated the livelihoods of thousands of people, and damaged crops in an area that produces most of the world’s palm oil, natural rubber and rice, and more than a third of its sugar. While parts of China endured the most rain in almost 60 years, water levels on the Mekong, one of Asia’s largest river systems, have fallen to among the lowest ever, and areas of southern India are battling relentless drought.

いくつかのエリアで起きている干ばつや氾濫は数百人の家計を破壊し、パーム油、天然ゴムやコメ、そして、3分の1以上の砂糖を生産している地域の作物にダメージを与えた。中国の一部地域がおよそ60年間で最大の豪雨に耐えたが、アジア最大の河川系の一つであるメコン川の水位は史上最低となっており、インド南部の地域は容赦のない干ばつと闘っている。

“Over the past several years, we’ve been seeing more dryness than not in the region,” said Donald Keeney, senior agricultural meteorologist at Maxar, a U.S.-based weather consultant. “These conditions will cause a decline in production of the main crops later this year and into next,” he said.

米国を拠点とする気象コンサルタントであるMaxarの上級農業気象学者、Donald Keeney氏は、「過去数年以上にわたり、我々は地域だけではない、干ばつを目の当たりにしている。」「これらのコンディションは今年や来年の主要作物の生産量の減少を引き起こすであろう。」と述べた。

Dry conditions have wilted rice fields in Thailand and Indonesia and parched sugar cane plantations and oilseed crops in India. 

乾燥のコンディションはタイやインドネシアのコメの苗をしおれさせ、インドのサトウキビのプランテーションや油糧種子を乾燥させる。

Example

Indonesia, Malaysia

These are the world’s top palm oil producers. The next three months will be crucial to determine how output will turn out next year and dryness in areas of Borneo island will be closely watched, said Ling Ah Hong, director of plantation consultant Ganling Sdn, who’s worked in the industry for more than four decades. Rice production is threatened by dry weather on Java island, where some areas are without rain for more than 60 days.

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