By 2030, China will establish a series of climate-related health policies, outlined in a new government action plan.
The plan is intended to address the growing risks that climate change poses to public health, due to increased heatwaves, infectious disease outbreaks, allergies and chronic illnesses.
The National Climate Change Health Adaptation Action Plan (2024-2030) was published on 18 September by the National Administration of Disease Control and 12 other government departments.
Key goals include enhancing disease-monitoring systems, identifying vulnerable populations, and improving early-warning systems.
Ten priority actions include making healthcare systems more resilient, boosting international cooperation, and promoting innovation in technologies that reduce the climate burden on health.
The plan calls for public bodies responsible for health, environment, water and meteorology to collaborate in developing regional public-health policies. It stresses the need to improve health responses during extreme weather, ensuring medical facilities can handle patient surges, and maintaining essential services during natural disasters.
Many regions across China have experienced extreme-weather events this year. In May, a climate-adaptation progress report underscored national vulnerability to climate impacts and the importance of adaptation. According to Xinhua, the new health plan is part of efforts to adapt, and also follows the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035 published in 2022.
China signed the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health last year in Dubai, which calls for strengthening healthcare systems to withstand climate risks and integrating public health into national policies and climate-adaptation strategies.
Read Dialogue Earth’s report on global progress on climate and health.