23
Jan

Climate change is a public health emergency that is already impacting the health and well-being of the global population. While the climate and weather repercussions of a warming world are more visible, less is understood and documented about the health impacts of climate change. Although the topic has garnered much attention, significant gaps in knowledge remain on how climate change directly (e.g., extreme weather events such as floods or droughts) and indirectly (e.g., reduced air, water and food quality) influences our surroundings and our health.

Recognizing the urgency of understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change on health, momentum is building around the globe to accelerate action, as exemplified by the first-ever Health Day and Climate-Health Declaration at COP28 Dubai. The Rockefeller Foundation itself has placed climate and health at the center of its health strategy, working with partners worldwide to strengthen health sector responses to climate change, including supporting global platforms and specific solutions such as wastewater surveillance. 

Asia, home to some of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, is likewise exposed to significant climate change-influenced health impacts. Across the region, nearly 50 million people were impacted by weather and water-related hazards alone in 2021, resulting in a total damage of over US$ 35 billion, not to mention impacts of rising temperatures, air and water pollution, shifting disease vectors, and other factors. While specific impacts may vary, no country is untouched by climate change.

Given its size and geographic diversity, China faces a range of climate risks to public health. Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns have led to more frequent and severe heatwaves, which pose a direct threat to Chinese population. Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, have become more prevalent, particularly among vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. Climate change has also influenced the spread of infectious diseases in China. Changing temperature and precipitation patterns create favorable conditions for the proliferation of disease-carrying vectors, such as mosquitoes and ticks. This has resulted in an increased incidence of vector-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria in certain regions.

Yet while confronting significant challenges, as the world's second largest economy it also brings substantial capacity for innovation in technology, public health management, and cooperation to understand and address climate change risks to health. Numerous initiatives are already underway across China, bringing potential for learning and collaboration with neighboring nations and beyond – in particular initiatives at city level to understand, monitor, and mitigate climate-induced health risks, including infectious diseases.