Coping with the concurrent heatwaves and ozone extremes in China under a warming climate

Intensive human activity has brought about unprecedented climate and environmental crises, in which concurrent heatwaves and ozone extremes pose the most serious threats. However, a limited understanding of the comprehensive mechanism hinders our ability to mitigate such compound events, especially in densely populated regions like China. Here, based on field observations and climate-chemistry coupled modelling, we elucidate the linkage between human activities and the climate system in heat-related ozone pollution. In China, we have observed that both the frequency and intensity of heatwaves have almost tripled since the beginning of this century. Moreover, these heatwaves are becoming more common in urban clusters with serious ozone pollution. Persistent heatwaves during the extremely hot and dry summers of 2013 and 2022 accelerate photochemical ozone production by boosting anthropogenic and biogenic emissions, and aggravate ozone accumulation by suppressing dry deposition due to water-stressed vegetation, leading to a more than 30% increase in ozone pollution in China’s urban areas. The sensitivity of ozone to heat is demonstrated to be substantially modulated by human-made emissions, and China’s clean air policy may have altered the relationship between ozone and temperature. Climate model projections further highlight that the high-emission climate-socioeconomic scenario tends to intensify the concurrent heat and ozone extremes in the next century. Our results underscore that the implementation of a strict emission strategy will significantly reduce the co-occurrence of heatwaves and ozone extremes, achieving climate and environmental co-benefits.