By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondentPublished1 day agoShare

Related Topicshttps://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60423329

• Climate change

Scientists say that a rapid drop in emissions because of Covid played a key role in record rainfall in China in 2020.

The decline in greenhouse gases and small particles called aerosols caused atmospheric changes that intensified the downpours.

Hundreds of people died and millions more were evacuated during a summer of record rainfall.

But long-term cuts in emissions are unlikely to trigger similar events.

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Many parts of eastern Chinaexperienced severe flooding in June and Julyin 2020. The researchers say the reductions in emissions contributed about one third of the extreme summer rain.

The Yangtze river saw the heaviest rainfall since 1961, with a 79% increase in June and July compared to the…