Heatwaves reduce intra- and intercity human mobility in China

Abstract Existing evidence on the societal impacts of heatwaves has largely centered on human health and labor productivity. This study contributes new evidence to this body of literature by showing that heatwaves significantly reduce human mobility, a high-frequency indicator of economic activity and social interaction, in and between Chinese cities. Using a set of fixed-effects panel-regression models estimated with mobile phone-derived human mobility data, coupled with daily meteorological and air quality data, we find that heatwaves, on average, reduce the intracity trip rate and inbound trips in Chinese cities by 1.5% and 1.6%, respectively. Notably, nearly one-third of the heatwave-induced decline in the intracity trip rate can be attributed to the added effect of sustained periods of extreme heat beyond the temperature–mobility relationship. Back-of-the-envelope calculations based on these estimates suggest that the 2023 Chinese summer heatwave led to nationwide mobility reductions on a scale equivalent to suspending all intracity and inbound trips in Shanghai, one of China’s largest and busiest cities, for an entire week. Moreover, the adverse impacts of heatwaves on human mobility are particularly pronounced in cities of small size and with limited economic resources and green spaces, highlighting the urgent need to enhance the heatwave resilience of these cities.