This discussion paper summarizesobserved and projected trends in extreme weather events,present-day climate variability, and future climate changeand their impacts on China's different regions.Findings are presented from China's national assessmentreport on climate change (2007) and second nationalassessment report on climate change (2011) as well as otherstudies by Chinese and international experts. In addition toreviewing the physical climate science, the paper also looksat trends in economic damages in China from weather relatedhazards. The paper serves as background for a series ofdiscussion papers on climate risk management and adaptationin China. The growing body of scientific evidence shows thatChina's climate is indeed changing, especially whenclimate is viewed at the regional level. Temperatures arerising, precipitation regimes are changing, and shifts haveoccurred in the distribution of extreme weather events. Theeffects of extreme weather events, present-day climatevariability, and future climate change cut across manydifferent sectors of China's economy. China'sgovernment estimates that direct economic losses fromextreme weather events cost the country 1 to 3 percent ofgross domestic product each year. As China's economycontinues to grow, its exposure to weather-related hazardsis expected to heighten, especially without policies tolimit building in hazardous areas such as floodplains andalleviate non-climate pressures such as overuse offreshwater resources. Effective risk management policies andinvestments are crucial to reducing the sensitivity andincreasing the resilience of the country to extreme weather,climate variability, and long-term climate change.
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