China’s public health initiatives for climate change adaptation
John S. Ji, Yanjie Xia, Linxin Liu, Weiju Zhou, Renjie Chen, Guang‐Hui Dong, Qinghua Hu, Jingkun Jiang, Haidong Kan, Tiantian Li, Yi Li, Qiyong Liu, Yanxiang Liu, Ying Long, Yuebin Lv, Jian Ma, Yue Ma, Pelin Kınay, Xiaoming Shi, Shilu Tong, Yang Xie, Lei Xu, Changzheng Yuan, Huatang Zeng, Bin Zhao, Guangjie Zheng, Wannian Liang, Margaret Chan, Cunrui Huang
Abstract
China's health gains over the past decades face potential reversals if climate change adaptation is not prioritized. China's temperature rise surpasses the global average due to urban heat islands and ecological changes, and demands urgent actions to safeguard public health. Effective adaptation need to consider China's urbanization trends, underlying non-communicable diseases, an aging population, and future pandemic threats. Climate change adaptation initiatives and strategies include urban green space, healthy indoor environments, spatial planning for cities, advance location-specific early warning systems for extreme weather events, and a holistic approach for linking carbon neutrality to health co-benefits. Innovation and technology uptake is a crucial opportunity. China's successful climate adaptation can foster international collaboration regionally and beyond.