Not Everyone Is Feeling The Heat The Same Way In China

The Chinese government has issued red alert warnings for extreme hot weather and suggested people stay inside.

Under the burning sun in a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius, 48-year-old Dang Jianbin is sorting out dozens of packages outside an office building near the second ring road of Beijing. It's almost lunch time, but he hasn't had his breakfast yet. Dang's only hope on such a hot day is to finish sending all the packages to their owners early and rest in the shade.

"I have no better options than working in the heat," said Dang, a delivery man for one of China's top courier-service companies, which he said he could not reveal without permission. "I have to make a living by doing this to support my children and my parents."

China is one of the many places on the planet experiencing unprecedented heat. Over the past month, scorching temperatures have affected 900 million people across the country, killing several. The government has issued red alert warnings for extreme hot weather and suggested people stay inside. But workers like Dang, whose jobs require long hours outdoors, face a hard choice between health and making ends meet, highlighting the growing climate inequality that has put the most vulnerable groups at risks.

From June to mid-July, on national average, China has recorded 5.3 days with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), the most since 1961 during the same period, according to China's National Climate Center. Since June, 71 national weather stations have recorded the highest temperature ever. In June, the northwest city of Xi'an experienced 20 days with thermometers above 35 degrees Celsius, and Shanghai hit 40.9 degrees Celsius last week, matching the city's highest on record.