The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified six key interventions related to climate and health which, if implemented on a widespread basis, would have the potential to save 1.6 million lives every year and generate around 3.9 trillion dollars (about 3.500 million euros) in benefits linked to well-being.
These findings come from the report "Benefits and Global Costs of Priority Action on Climate Change and Health", released this Wednesday by the WHO on the occasion of the imminent 31st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 31), which will begin next Monday in Turkey.
The actions assessed cover early warning systems for health risks associated with heatwaves; drinking water infrastructures adapted to climate change; basic sanitation services; hygiene and handwashing facilities; cleaner fuels and household technologies for cooking and heating homes; and more efficient frameworks for pricing fossil fuels.
"Climate change is clearly one of the defined health threats of the 20th century. (...) To avoid preventable deaths, to prevent illnesses and to make sure that we do not have these economic losses, countries must accelerate climate action now," said Frank Pega, technical expert in Climate Health Economics at the WHO's Department of Climate Change, Air Quality, Energy and Health.
The massive implementation of these policies would also make it possible to avoid the emission of 16.700 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), which represents 31 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use, land-use changes and forestry.
In economic terms, the benefits linked to well-being include the monetary value of lives saved, reduced health spending, increased productivity and the prevention of climate and environmental losses. To this would be added another 5.4 trillion dollars (4.800 million euros) annually in additional fiscal returns.
The WHO emphasizes that the report's data show a triple dividend resulting from the implementation of these measures: healthier populations, fewer polluting emissions and more robust economies.
Commitments at COP 31
The head of the WHO Unit on Climate Change, Air Quality, Energy and Health, Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, has called on the States that will participate in COP 31 to negotiate "as if people's lives depended on it, because they do," and to reach ambitious agreements.
"Many countries have experienced the hottest year in their history," he highlighted, recalling that the temperature record in Europe has caused tens of thousands of deaths, that a flash flood in Nepal has had serious consequences, and that the El Niño phenomenon will have additional impacts.
"There has not been enough progress in the last 30 COPs. Sometimes we hear that this is because there is too much uncertainty around the impacts or that the actions we need to take will cost too much. Today, the WHO is launching a report that shows that this is not the case. It is not an excuse not to take action," he said.
The document calculates that, for five of the six measures studied, every dollar invested would generate 24 dollars in benefits, which is equivalent to allocating 0.80 euros and obtaining a return of 21.4 euros. According to the WHO, the positive impact would be especially high in low- and middle-income countries, helping to reduce health and economic inequalities.
Among the most profitable actions, the report highlights heat health warning systems, with an estimated return of 835 dollars (around 746 euros) per dollar invested, which shows that it is possible to take advantage of infrastructure that already exists and prevent heat-related pathologies at a relatively low cost.
Effective fossil fuel pricing policies, which include the removal of inefficient subsidies and appropriate taxation on these fuels, would be the ones that would deliver the greatest benefits. It is estimated that these measures would avert 1.2 million deaths and provide three trillion dollars (about 2,700 million euros) in economic well-being benefits and 5.4 trillion dollars (about 4,800 million euros) in additional tax revenue each year.
Call to governments
Frank Pega has appealed to countries to change their approach and to consider climate health interventions as strategic investments, and not as mere expenses. Along these lines, he has called on the Ministries of Finance to allocate stable funding to roll out these proven-efficacy measures.
At the same time, it has requested the involvement and oversight of the Ministries of Health. Finally, it has urged governments to reinvest the economic and fiscal benefits derived from these policies in strengthening health systems, in improving resilience to climate, and in financing sustainable development.
"Investing in climate health measures is an obvious solution and is one of the most effective ways to save lives, reduce climate risks, strengthen economies and avoid future costs," he concluded.