NEWS//China and climate change
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that China is under considerable threat from climate change. The report predicts China's population will face food security and dangers from extreme weather.
More than 5 million residents and roughly 25% of the coastline in China are in highly vulnerable areas, with numbers expected to double in the next 80 years.
China will suffer the world’s biggest economic losses as a result of rising sea levels and the resulting floods.
Annual heat-related deaths in 27 major Chinese cities is projected to nearly double. Between 1986-2005, there were 32.1 deaths per million people each year. In the next year, there will be 48.8–67.1 deaths per million if the average temperature rises 1.5°C. If the rise in temperature is 2°C, predicted deaths increase to 59.2–81.3 per million.
The report points to recent history as a baseline for its predictions. "In 2019, Bangladesh, China, India and the 30 Philippines each recorded more than 4 million disaster displacements. In South East and East Asia, cyclones, 31 floods, and typhoons triggered internal displacement of 9.6 million people in 2019, almost 30% of total 32 global displacements."
According to The Conversation, "China is… developing the policies that will guide its approach to climate change over the next decade. It has released two overarching documents for reaching carbon neutrality and an emissions peak in 2030. Over the next year or so, it intends to release 30 sector- and province-specific documents to guide industries such as steel, cement and transportation."
Sources: The Conversation, IPCC, China Access, Climate Action Trracker, Statistica
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