The year 2023 has been reported as the driest year in more than three decades for the rivers in the world, a report from the United Nations weather agency has said.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) held a press conference on Monday to release the State of Global Water Resources Report 2023.
According to the report, the record-hot temperatures in 2023 underpinned the drying up of water flows. South America witnessed the largest drought-influenced area in 33 years, with the water level of the Amazon River and Lake Titicaca, the largest freshwater lake in South America, reaching their lowest levels ever observed.
In addition, glaciers also suffered the largest loss of mass in 50 years, threatening the long-term water security of millions, said the report.
With rising temperatures, the global water cycle is accelerating and becomes more erratic and unpredictable, triggering an increasing number of floods and droughts worldwide, warned Celeste Saulo, secretary general of WMO.
"Water is becoming the most telling indicator of our climate's distress. And yet, as a global society, we are not taking bold action to protect this resource," said Saulo.
According to WMO's estimation, 3.6 billion people around the world face water shortages for at least one month each year, and the number could rise to 5 billion by 2025.
WMO calls for global actions to monitor and share data on water resources, better assess the impacts of changing climate on water resources, and help member states and organizations take effective measures.
World's rivers experience driest year in three decades in 2023: UN report
World's rivers experience driest year in three decades in 2023: UN report
World's rivers experience driest year in three decades in 2023: UN report
China's trade-in program for home appliances during the National Day holiday has led to a surge in sales revenues which topped 17.835 billion yuan (about 2.53 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).
During the seven-day National Day holiday starting on Oct 1, nearly 2.52 million consumers purchased 3.745 million units across eight categories of household appliances through the trade-in program, with sales reaching 17.835 billion yuan.
The eight categories were refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, air conditioners, computers, water heaters, household stoves and range hoods.
Among them, the top three categories were air conditioners, refrigerators and computers, with sales reaching 4.519 billion yuan, 3.797 billion yuan, and 2.624 billion yuan, respectively.
Since the introduction of the trade-in policy for home appliances, about 8.24 million consumers have purchased about 11.78 million home appliances in eight categories, generating sales exceeding 55.793 billion yuan.
"The consumer traffic in our store has increased dramatically, almost tripling that of last year, and our sales have more than doubled," said Wang Yisheng, a home appliance store owner in Nanjing City of east China's Jiangsu Province.
The country also reported a surge in vehicle sales. As of Oct 7 midnight, the MOC's automobile trade-in platform had received over 1.27 million subsidy applications, driving new car sales to exceed 160 billion yuan, of which applications for subsidies related to new energy vehicles accounted for more than 60 percent of the total.
"I have been driving my old car for eight years. I am very satisfied with the power, handling and comfort of the new car. After I learned about the generous incentives offered by the government's 'trade-in' policy, I made the purchase without hesitation," said Mr. Chen, a consumer from Yongzhou City of central China's Hunan Province.
China's home appliance sales surge under trade-in program during National Day holiday
