Introduction
The current situation of air pollution and climate change results in almost 7 million premature deaths yearly, making it a significant priority issue for several global health organizations. The state of the air pollution issue is worsened by the possibility of future change in climate that would end in increased frequency and duration of weather conditions that enhance air pollution exposure. This paper will define the importance of the issue, explore the issue’s history, analyze the impact the problem has on people in selected areas, and cover current efforts to overcome the issue.
The Importance of the Health impacts of Climate Change in China
Climate and environmental change have affected the people in China in a way that is not comparable with other countries. Although the research on the impact climate change could make on air quality is relatively new, the issue implies a significant risk in China. More than 7 million people die prematurely because of air pollution globally, and China numbers over one million of them (Hong et al., 2019). As the climate is related to the emission, transportation, and dispersion of pollutant emission, it also could interfere with various meteoritical conditions such as temperature, humidity rate, and wind (Orru et al., 2017). Climate change and reducing air quality could increase the number of cases of respiratory diseases like allergies, and asthma and worsen respiratory symptoms in patients suffering from chronic lung disease. Moreover, there are pieces of evidence that the air quality issue could be connected to cases of diabetes, rheumatic diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases (Orru et al., 2017). Although climate change could not directly impact the health conditions, in combination with air pollution, it will most likely increase air pollution-affected issues health.
The History of the Health Impacts of Climate Change in China
The future prognosis shows that climate change would significantly exacerbate future air pollution mortality compared to other countries. Hong et al. (2019) estimated that climate change would affect air quality for more than 85% of China in the middle of the century. Further prognosis shows that additional 12,100 or 8,900 Chinese would die per year due to ozone exposure and increased population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter. Although the climate change prognosis results could not compare to the aftermath of infectious diseases which appeared due to ecological changes, like SARS outbreaks, the summary of yearly results would exceed them (Liu et al., 2018). The changes could also negatively affect mortality in cases of aging populations in China. The implications of future climate change based on analysis of air circulation and temperature data suggest that extreme weather events would affect the air quality and especially the fine particulate matter concentration.
The Impacts of Climate Change in China on Population’s Health
Climate change could affect various aspects of the life of Chinese people. Firstly, the rising of water and sea level could result in human migration, which is essential for health. Next, the change of surroundings implies encounters with different sets of allergens (Deng et al., 2020). Climate change could also impact housing conditions and changes in diet, which are essential for human health. Again, the concertation of fine particulate matter and secondary pollutants is closely related to allergic respiratory diseases.
The Ethical Considerations in the Cause of Climate Change in China
As a past world leader in greenhouse gas emissions, China constantly faced pressure for being one of the causes of climate change. Since 2008, the Chinese government took a proactive stance on climate issues and focused on a model of low-carbon development. Currently, China is considered one of the leaders in mitigating climate change (Engels, 2018). Engels (2018) emphasized the efficient improvements the Chinese government was able to make without the help of an authoritarian political regimen. As China implies a multi-leveled system of local and regional governments, a high level of delegation the effectiveness resulted in a coincidental alignment of interests. Engels (2018) notes that Chinese people resorted to e-mobility despite governmental disincentive plans regarding electric cars. Overall, one could say that Chinese people effectively participate in actions goal of environmental friendliness without pressure from the government, despite the popular opinion of the authoritarian political regime.
An Overview of Current Efforts to Overcome the Issue
Chinese government’s development of a low-carbon approach is the most drastic change taken by the country among all CoP 21 Paris Agreement countries. The implementation of such strategic changes requires a significant amount of material recourse. Moreover, the controversy between the low-carbon goals and ways of implementing them will remain strong for an extended time (Engels, 2018). The process of decarbonization in the future will rely more on the engagement of the people. It is valuable to note that a significant amount of the Chinese population effectively participates in preventing climate change. Still, it is unknown if the nation could be united on issues of ecology without the pressure of authorities.
In conclusion, the problem of air pollution and climate change are closely related. Over one million people die prematurely in China due to air pollution, ozone exposure, and a high concentration of fine particulate matter every year. Although climate change could not directly affect the Chinese population’s health, climate change interference could increase the number of respiratory system diseases, etc. The policy of low-carbon developments introduced by the Chinese government combined with participation from the people is set on cleaning the air from the concentration of fine particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions.
References
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