Dead heat by 2050: massive North China area to be hotspot for killer mix of heatwaves and surface ozone, study finds

Beijing, Tianjin and five nearby provinces to face increased impact of extreme high temperatures and ground level ozone pollution, new study suggests

Such conditions caused around 100 daily excess deaths in the area during 2017-19, researchers estimate

Reading Time:2 minutes

Sheep graze in a dried-up reservoir during a drought in China’s Henan province. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:00pm, 20 Apr 2022Updated: 9:17pm, 20 Apr 2022

China’s capital city Beijing and its neighbouring provinces could face 15 extra days of extreme heat and ozone pollution annually by 2050, a new study has warned.

The dual environmental blow is already driving up premature mortality rates in the massive area known as the North China Plain - covering Beijing, the nearby port city of Tianjin, and five neighbouring provinces. By 2050, it would be the Chinese region worst affected by ozone pollution and extreme high temperatures, the study published in peer-reviewed journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics found.

“The result shows that with global warming and increasing heatwaves, the co-occurrences of extreme high temperatures and ozone pollution are projected to be more frequent by 2050 compared to the current level [in China],” said Wang Pinya, lead author and associate professor at the Nanjing University of Information and Technology.

Redoubled efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce air pollutant emissions were critical to reducing ozone levels by the end of this century, she noted.

Ozone is formed when sunlight interacts with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds emitted by power plants, factories, vehicles and other sources. It is a harmful air pollutant at ground level, and long-term exposure to high ozone concentrations can seriously damage not only human health, but vegetation and ecosystems as well.

Ozone pollution is usually accompanied by high temperatures, low humidity and weak winds. While most previous studies examined the single impact of either extreme heat or ozone pollution, the US and Chinese researchers led by Wang looked into the cumulative impact of extremes in both areas.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x