Environment | WPN World People News

On the early morning of January 23, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Ush County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. The epicenter was located at 41.26 degrees north latitude and 78.63 degrees east longitude, about 140 kilometers west of Aksu City. The earthquake had a depth of 22 kilometers. Shortly after the strong earthquake, several aftershocks occurred with magnitudes of 5.5, 5.1, and 5.0 respectively. According to Reuters, another magnitude 5.67 earthquake with a shallow depth of 10 kilometers hit the area on the morning of January 24.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said that the strongest cold front of the winter will arrive from the 23rd to the 25th, and it is expected that heavy snowfalls will occur along the Sea of Japan from Eastern Japan to Western Japan. In particular, from the night of the 23rd to the 24th, the snow is expected to intensify in Hokuriku and northern Kinki, and the agency is urging the public to be aware of earthquakes, traffic accidents, and frozen roads, as well as to be careful of collapses of houses damaged by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake due to the accumulation of snow.

Winter storm Isha began to hit the UK and Ireland from north to south on the 21st, bringing winds of up to 144 km/h, causing rail disruptions, flight cancellations, and tens of thousands of households to lose water and electricity. The strong winds also blew down trees, killing at least five people.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said a heat wave hit a wide area of Australia on the 21st, adding to the risk of an already high-risk wildfire season under the Santa Claus phenomenon.

China's central meteorological station on the 19th issued a meteorological forecast pointed out that by the impact of a strong cold front, it is expected that from 20 to 23 inland areas of China will be a substantial drop in temperature, and will bring a wide range of strong snowfall, nearly 80% of the country is in the state of freezing.

Hurricane and flood warnings have been issued for the northeastern U.S. coast as winter storms once again hit the region, with 32 million people expected to be affected.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, has erupted several times in recent weeks, evacuating more than 2,200 residents to temporary shelters. More than 80 kilometers away, Frans Sida Airport has also been affected by the eruptions. The airport has also been forced to close due to the ash eruption.

The East Asian region has been hit by a strong cold wave, freezing for two days. Experts say that this wave of cold air is due to the leakage of the polar vortex from the North Pole, which has poured directly into the East Asian region. In South Korea, some car windows were so cold that they cracked. Records of low temperatures have also been reported in many parts of China.

The Asia Zero Net Emissions Consortium (AZEC), in which Japan, Australia and Southeast Asia participate, held its first summit in Tokyo, Japan, today and agreed on the principle of adopting diversified and realistic approaches to promote decarbonization through a joint statement.