The Impacts of Climate Change on the Environment and Human Health in China: A Call for more Ambitious Action.

Shi Lu TONG; Yu WANG; Yong Long LU; Cun de XIAO; Qi Yong LIU; Qi ZHAO; Cun Rui HUANG; Jia Yu XU; Ning KANG; Tong ZHU; Dahe QIN; Ying XU; Buda SU; Xiao Ming SHI

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The Impacts of Climate Change on the Environment and Human Health in China: A Call for more Ambitious Action.

Author: Shi Lu TONG ¹ ; Yu WANG ² ; Yong Long LU ³ ; Cun de XIAO ⁴ ; Qi Yong LIU ⁵ ; Qi ZHAO ⁶ ; Cun Rui HUANG ⁷ ; Jia Yu XU ⁷ ; Ning KANG ⁸ ; Tong ZHU ⁹ ; Dahe QIN ¹⁰ ; Ying XU ¹¹ ; Buda SU ¹² ; Xiao Ming SHI ¹³
Author Information

1. National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China;School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4001, Australia.
2. National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China.
3. State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science and International Institute for Sustainability Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, Fujian, China.
4. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
5. National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
6. School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China.
7. Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
8. Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics/Ministryof Education Key Laboratory of Epidemiology of Major Diseases (PKU), School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Centre, Beijing 100191, China.
9. SKL-ESPC & SEPKL-AERM, Department of Environmental Health, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering & Center for Environment and Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
10. China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China.
11. National Climate Centre, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China.
12. Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, Jiangsu, China.
13. National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China;Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
Publication Type:Review
MeSH: Climate Change; China; Humans; Greenhouse Gases; Air Pollution; Sustainable Development; Environment
From: Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(2):127-143
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: As global greenhouse gases continue rising, the urgency of more ambitious action is clearer than ever before. China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and one of the countries affected most by climate change. The evidence about the impacts of climate change on the environment and human health may encourage China to take more decisive action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts. This article aimed to review the evidence of environmental damages and health risks posed by climate change and to provide a new science-based perspective for the delivery of sustainable development goals. Over recent decades, China has experienced a strong warming pattern with a growing frequency of extreme weather events, and the impacts of climate change on China's environment and human health have been consistently observed, with increasing O ₃ air pollution, decreases in water resources and availability, land degradation, and increased risks for both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Therefore, China's climate policy should target the key factors driving climate change and scale up strategic measures to curb carbon emissions and adapt to inevitable increasing climate impacts. It provides new insights for not only China but also other countries, particularly developing and emerging economies, to ensure climate and environmental sustainability whilst pursuing economic growth.