Sall, Chris2014-04-012014-04-012013-09https://hdl.handle.net/10986/17558This discussion paper summarizes observed and projected trends in extreme weather events, present-day climate variability, and future climate change and their impacts on China's different regions. Findings are presented from China's national assessment report on climate change (2007) and second national assessment report on climate change (2011) as well as other studies by Chinese and international experts. In addition to reviewing the physical climate science, the paper also looks at trends in economic damages in China from weather related hazards. The paper serves as background for a series of discussion papers on climate risk management and adaptation in China. The growing body of scientific evidence shows that China's climate is indeed changing, especially when climate is viewed at the regional level. Temperatures are rising, precipitation regimes are changing, and shifts have occurred in the distribution of extreme weather events. The effects of extreme weather events, present-day climate variability, and future climate change cut across many different sectors of China's economy. China's government estimates that direct economic losses from extreme weather events cost the country 1 to 3 percent of gross domestic product each year. As China's economy continues to grow, its exposure to weather-related hazards is expected to heighten, especially without policies to limit building in hazardous areas such as floodplains and alleviate non-climate pressures such as overuse of freshwater resources. Effective risk management policies and investments are crucial to reducing the sensitivity and increasing the resilience of the country to extreme weather, climate variability, and long-term climate change.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOABSADAPTIVE MANAGEMENTADVERSE EFFECTSAEROSOLSAGRICULTUREAGROMETEOROLOGYAIRAIR CONDITIONINGANNUAL PRECIPITATIONAPPLIED CLIMATOLOGYATMOSPHEREATMOSPHERIC CONCENTRATIONSATMOSPHERIC SCIENCESBAROMETRIC PRESSUREBASINSBIODIVERSITYBIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYBIOLOGYBIOMASSBURNING COALCASE STUDIESCHARACTERISTICS OF CLIMATE CHANGECHIEF SCIENTISTCLIMATECLIMATE CHANGECLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATIONCLIMATE CHANGE ASSESSMENTCLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTCLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCHCLIMATE CHANGESCLIMATE CONDITIONSCLIMATE DATACLIMATE DYNAMICSCLIMATE EXTREMESCLIMATE IMPACTCLIMATE IMPACT RESEARCHCLIMATE MODELINGCLIMATE MODELSCLIMATE PREDICTIONCLIMATE PROJECTIONSCLIMATE RESEARCHCLIMATE RISKCLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENTCLIMATE RISKSCLIMATE SCENARIOCLIMATE SCIENCECLIMATE STABILIZATIONCLIMATE SYSTEMCLIMATE SYSTEM MODELCLIMATE TRENDSCLIMATE VARIABILITYCLIMATE WARMINGCLIMATIC CHANGESCLIMATIC RESEARCHCLIMATOLOGYCLOUDINESSCOCO2COASTCOASTAL AREASCOASTAL RESEARCHCOASTAL ZONESCOASTSCOLORSCONSERVATIONCONSTRUCTIONCONVECTIONCORAL REEFSCROPLANDCROPSDAILY TEMPERATUREDAMAGESDAMSDATA SETSDATA SOURCESDESALINATIONDESERTIFICATIONDESERTSDRAINAGEDROUGHTDUSTECOLOGICAL SYSTEMSECOLOGYECOSYSTEMELECTRICITYELECTRICITY GENERATIONEMISSIONEMISSION SCENARIOSEMISSIONSEMISSIONS SCENARIOEMISSIONS SCENARIOSENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCHEROSION CONTROLEVAPORATIONEVAPOTRANSPIRATIONEXTREME CLIMATE EVENTSEXTREME EVENTSEXTREME HEATEXTREME PRECIPITATIONEXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENTSEXTREME TEMPERATUREEXTREME TEMPERATURE EVENTSEXTREME TEMPERATURESEXTREME WEATHEREXTREME WEATHER EVENTSFERTILIZATIONFLOODINGFLOODPLAINSFLOODSFORESTFOREST ECOSYSTEMSFOREST FIREFOREST FIRESFOREST SUCCESSIONFORESTRYFORESTSFRESHWATERFROSTFUTURE CLIMATE CHANGEGCMGENERAL CIRCULATION MODELGLACIAL MELTWATERGLACIERSGLOBAL CLIMATEGLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGEGLOBAL CLIMATE MODELGLOBAL WARMINGGRASSLANDSGREENHOUSEGREENHOUSE GASGREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONSGREENHOUSE GASESGROUNDWATERGROWING SEASONHAILHIGH TEMPERATURESHOUSINGHUMAN ACTIVITYHURRICANESHYDROLOGICAL MODELHYDROLOGICAL MODELSHYDROLOGICAL SCIENCESHYDROLOGYICEICE SHEETIMPACT OF CLIMATEIMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGEIMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGEINCOMEINSURANCEINTENSE RAINFALLINTENSE STORMSINTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGEINTERNATIONAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGEIPCCLAND AREASLAND DEGRADATIONLAND SUBSIDENCELAND USELONG-TERM CLIMATE CHANGEMANGROVESMARINE BIOTAMELTING GLACIERSMETEOROLOGICAL ADMINISTRATIONMETEOROLOGYMICROBESMONSOONSNATIONAL CLIMATENATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGENATIONAL SCALENEGATIVE IMPACTSNONPOINT SOURCEOZONEPHYSICSPLANTATIONPOLLUTANTSPOWER PLANTSPRECIPITATIONPRECIPITATION EVENTSPRECIPITATION PATTERNSPUBLIC HEALTHQUALITY OF WATERRAINRAINFALLRAINY DAYSRANGESREGIONAL CLIMATEREGIONAL CLIMATE CHANGEREGIONAL CLIMATE MODELREGIONAL CLIMATE SCENARIOSRESERVOIRSRISKS OF CLIMATE CHANGERIVERRUNOFFSANDSCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTSCIENTIFIC EVIDENCESCIENTISTSSEA LEVEL RISESEA-LEVELSEA-LEVEL RISESEASONAL PRECIPITATIONSOLAR RADIATIONSPECIESSTORM SURGESSTORMSSUMMER RAINFALLSURFACE RUNOFFSURFACE TEMPERATURESSURFACE WATERSURFACE WATERSTEMPERATURETEMPERATURE CHANGETEMPERATURE CHANGESTEMPERATURE EXTREMESTEMPERATURE RANGETEMPERATURESTOPOGRAPHYTROPICAL CYCLONESTROPICAL STORMSTYPHOONSVARIABILITY IN RAINFALLVARIABILITY OF RAINFALLVEGETATIONVEGETATIVE COVERVEGETATIVE GROWTHWARMER TEMPERATURESWATER TREATMENTWAVESWETLANDSWINDWIND DAMAGEWIND EROSIONWIND SPEEDSWINDS10.1596/17558