Global benefits and costs of prioritized actions on climate change and health: technical report

Overview

This technical report presents a global assessment of the health, environmental and economic benefits and costs of scaling up six prioritized climate–health actions. Using a welfare economic approach, it evaluates heat–health warning systems, climate-resilient drinking-water, basic sanitation and hand hygiene, cleaner household energy sources, and fiscal policies to efficiently price fossil fuels. The analysis quantifies potential reductions in mortality and greenhouse gas emissions, economic benefits, implementation costs and returns on investment across countries and regions.

The findings indicate that scaling up these interventions could avert approximately 1.6 million deaths annually, prevent 17 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and generate economic benefits of approximately US$ 4 trillion and fiscal benefits of approximately US$ 5 trillion annually. For the five interventions assessed through benefit–cost analysis, estimated benefits amount to US$ 24 for every US$ 1 invested. Despite uncertainties associated with long-term projections and ambitious scale-up scenarios, the report provides quantitative evidence to inform the prioritization, financing and implementation of climate–health actions worldwide.