The new Lancet Countdown China report shows that 8 out of 13 climate-health risk indicators have reached historic highs; The launch in Beijing will showcase scalable approaches to resilient and low-carbon urban development.
/PRNewswire/ — With 8 of 13 critical climate-health risk indicators reaching record levels in China, the Lancet Countdown China Report 2025, launched today at Tsinghua University, offers valuable insights for city resilience and low-carbon development.
Marking World Cities Day with the theme “Empowering Cities for Synergistic Action,” the report delivers unprecedented city-level analysis, uncovering a critical gap between national and provincial assessments and the risks specific to individual cities. “As climate warnings light up everywhere, we must combat public desensitization and offer targeted solutions to cities,” said Professor Cai Wenjia, director of the Lancet Countdown Asia Center at Tsinghua University. “Our analysis shows that health-oriented climate protection measures are not an economic obstacle, but rather an accelerator of growth.”
Key findings with regional implications include:
- Asian countries are currently experiencing an average of 20 heatwave days per year (2022-2024), with climate change responsible for 16 of these days
- The public is becoming increasingly risk-weary as climate warnings become commonplace, threatening the effectiveness of countermeasures
- Every city is facing its own climate health crisis – national averages mask critical local vulnerabilities
- Scientific research does not address cities’ most pressing needs and cost-effective solutions remain scarce
- Health-focused climate action accelerates economic growth rather than hindering it
Identifying cities as both the epicenter of climate-related health risks and a driver of solutions, the report outlines five priority actions, from developing people-centered early warning systems to embedding health into smart city planning.
The launch was attended by experts from Singapore, India, Australia and China who discussed practical solutions for cities. The event also highlighted new funding avenues. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank outlined its focus on health and nature-friendly infrastructure, while the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network unveiled its Climate x Health Lighthouse Fund – Asia’s first philanthropic fund to support adaptation innovation.
“The city-level insights presented in this report are exactly what local governments need to move from planning to implementation,” said Dr. Sandro Demaio, Director of the WHO Asia-Pacific Center for Environment and Health
The full report is available at https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00230-0/fulltext