Taking stock of climate action for a healthy and thriving future

Zhang, S., Zhang, C., Cai, W., Bai, Y., Max, C., Chang, N., Chen, B., Chen, H., Cheng, L., Dai, H., Dai, X., Fan, W., Fang, X., Gao, T., Geng, Y., Guan, D., Hu, Y., Hua, J., Huang, C., Huang, H., et al. (2024). Taking stock of climate action for a healthy and thriving future. Chinese Science Bulletin 69 (27) 4005-4011. 10.1360/TB-2024-0439.

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Abstract

Human health is inextricably linked to climate change, as the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, floods, and hurricanes pose direct and indirect threats to human life and well-being. The first round of the Global Stocktake (GST) in 2023 will provide a systematic inventory of actions to address climate change, and guidance for identifying and implementing interventions that prioritize health considerations. The 2023 China Report of the Lancet Countdown, led by Tsinghua University with contributions from 76 experts from 26 leading global institutions, continues to track progress on health and climate change in China through 28 indicators across five domains. These domains encompass a wide spectrum, from the climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerability (Section 1), to different elements of actions including adaption (Section 2), mitigation and their health implications (Section 3), economics and finance (Section 4), and public and political engagement (Section 5). We selected the most urgent and relevant indicators to compilea policy brief that provides a comprehensive understanding of recent progress on climate change and health in China. This report is the fourth China Lancet Countdown report, pays particular attention to the impacts on the health risks arising from human-induced climate change (Panel 2), and production- and consumption-based CO2 and PM2.5 emissions (indicator 4.2.4), indicating the urgency for mitigation by identifying human contribution to carbon emissions and climate change. In addition, we found that the record-breaking heat and drought of 2022 were associated with increased adverse health outcomes. Wildfire exposure increased by 54% compared to the historical baseline, while heatwave-related mortality increased by 342%, heat-related work loss increased by 24%, safe outdoor physical activity loss increased by 67% and the resulting hours available for safe outdoor activities decreased by 9.6%. Human-caused climate change was responsible for 49.4% of heatwave-related mortality, 30.9% of heat-related labour productivity loss, 98.8% of population affected by drought, and 7.6% of population affected by flood in the previous 20 years. The national health emergency response score rose from 73 in 2020 to 73.5 in 2021, and health risk early warnings expanded to cover eight provinces and 27 cities, shielding 183.3 million people. Based on the findings, the following recommendations are put forth to safeguard against the climate change-related health risks: (1) Increase investment, research and development of renewable energy to avoid lock-in effects of coal power. Investing in renewable energy infrastructures can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy diversity and resilience. (2) Harness the synergies in actions to reduce carbon and air pollutants. By capitalizing on the interconnections between carbon reduction and improved air quality, China can protect human health, enhance environmental well-being, and build resilient communities for generations to come. (3) Establish meteorology-informed early warning systems for health, and develop a population-health-oriented meteorological early warning system that accounts for climate health hazards. (4) Encourage research focused on the compound and cascading effects of extreme weather events, and on efficient response strategies. By promoting relevant research, China can deepen its understanding of the compound and cascading effects of extreme weather events, and develop effective strategies to mitigate their effects, safeguard lives, and foster societal resilience. (5) Develop health adaptation guidelines tailored to the specific needs and roles of different actors. These guidelines should offer targeted recommendations and strategies for a range of stakeholders, including local governments, healthcare systems, communities, and individuals.

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