Legislator highlights AI, tech and awareness to reduce weather risks

Stronger scientific support, infrastructure investment and public awareness are needed to mitigate rising risks from extreme weather after a year marked by unusually severe natural disasters, a national legislator said ahead of this year's annual two sessions.

Zheng Yongguang, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a veteran meteorologist, had submitted a proposal last year on strengthening China's disaster prevention and mitigation capacity. The proposal was listed for key handling by the NPC Standing Committee.

China faced a "particularly prominent" disaster situation last year, highlighting the urgency of improving disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities amid climate change, Zheng said last week.

In 2025, China was hit by a series of impactful weather events, including prolonged torrential rains across northern regions in July and August that triggered floods and resulted in casualties.

"Recent climate data shows a clear northward shift of the country's summer rain belt, a trend that has become more pronounced over the past decade and stood out sharply last year," Zheng said.

Traditionally, the main rain belt lingers over the Yangtze River Basin in early summer. But last year, the plum rain season over the Jianghuai region was shorter than usual, and by early July the rain belt had moved north to Hebei and Shanxi provinces, Beijing and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, bringing sustained downpours and causing widespread damage.

"These abnormal climate features reflect the growing volatility of the climate system," Zheng said, adding that extreme events are becoming more frequent and intense.

Disaster prevention and reduction is a demanding task for China and has been repeatedly highlighted in key policy documents and central work conferences in recent years.

In his proposal, Zheng called for deeper research into the mechanisms behind extreme events such as tornadoes. While forecasting capabilities have improved through weather radar, longer lead times are still needed to reduce casualties, he said.

Zheng also urged greater investment in meteorological infrastructure, including radars, satellites and numerical forecasting systems. The National Development and Reform Commission and the China Meteorological Administration have been advancing a national program to enhance short-term forecasting and imminent warnings for extreme weather, aiming to fill radar blind spots and strengthen alerts for heavy rain, severe convection, typhoons and sandstorms.

Meanwhile, developing core technologies, including numerical weather prediction models and artificial intelligence applications, is crucial. "AI tools should be built on high-quality observational data and optimized models to deliver reliable forecasts," he said.

In addition, Zheng emphasized public education to combat overreliance on past experience and improve the effectiveness of early warnings. He recalled field research in Beijing's Mentougou district, which was hit hard by floods exceeding historical records in 2023.

"Some elderly residents didn't believe the forecasts or respond to early warnings because the region never experienced such downpours before," Zheng said.

Given multiple weather-related accidents on popular hiking routes and in remote areas last year, tourism safety is high on Zheng's agenda this year. He suggested that in high-risk situations, authorities should consider mandatory measures to keep tourists away from dangerous areas.

In recent years, the lawmaker has also submitted proposals on meteorological support for emerging sectors, including tailored weather services for the low-altitude economy, where drones and other aircraft are highly sensitive to weather conditions, and enhanced marine meteorological monitoring to support the ocean economy.

Over the past year, he has surveyed meteorological departments in Shandong and Henan provinces, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and engaged with universities and enterprises to better understand how weather services underpin agriculture, energy and industrial production.

"As the economy grows, the demand for disaster prevention and reduction only rises," Zheng said. "Strengthening meteorological services is essential to safeguarding lives and high-quality development," he added.