Decoupling economic growth from fossil fuels to protect public health
Cai Wenjia, Professor, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University
The health impacts of climate change are rapidly increasing. According to the China Lancet Countdown Report in 2021, around 25,000 people in China died due to heatwaves, which is double the number compared to the 1980s and 1990s. Therefore, we should pay close attention to the health effects of climate change and expedite decoupling of economic development from fossil fuel use in order to prevent the health damage caused by short-term air pollution and long-term climate change.
