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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Impact of Heatwave Events on
Public Health Expenditures in China:
What Can Be Done to Mitigate?
1
School of Economics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Submission date: 2025-03-06
Final revision date: 2025-05-03
Acceptance date: 2025-06-12
Online publication date: 2025-09-29
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Global warming has intensified the frequency of heatwave events (HWE), posing significant
challenges to public health systems. This study evaluates the impact of HWE on public health
expenditures (PHE) in China and explores mitigation mechanisms to inform climate-resilient policies.
Utilizing panel data of 238 cities from 2011 to 2020, this paper employs a two-way fixed effects model
and a moderating effects model, complemented by robustness checks and heterogeneity analysis. Results
reveal that HWE significantly increase PHE. Heterogeneity analysis highlights that large cities are
confronted with heightened vulnerability, while cities with a high proportion of outdoor workers also
face more health risks. Moderating effect tests demonstrate that green technological innovation and park
green spaces effectively mitigate HWE-driven PHE growth. The study recommends integrating climate
risks into public health budgeting, prioritizing green technology adoption, and advancing ecological
urban planning to enhance urban resilience and reduce health inequities. These findings offer empirical
support and policy insights for developing countries addressing climate-induced health-economic
burdens.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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