China’s record-breaking heat and historic floods this summer haven’t spurred significant domestic public debate about climate change mitigation, frustrating campaigners. While climate change’s link to extreme weather has been acknowledged in the past, few have made the connection this year, nor linked it to China’s own emissions, now a third of the global total. Limited public engagement hampers the government’s climate agenda and a new narrative. Search trends for climate change have not risen despite severe weather, with state media focused on China’s leadership in climate change fight. Concerns persist about the impact of limited public engagement on China’s transition to greener practices.