When it comes to climate change, the cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of investing in effective action. Climate change poses an imminent and severe threat to human health, affecting nearly half of the world’s population today. Climate and environmental harms already impose significant economic costs – the global health cost of air pollution in 2019 was estimated to be US$ 8.1 trillion − equivalent to 9.3% of the regional gross domestic product (GDP) in East Asia and the Pacific.
It is clear that action is needed. However, climate change and environmental issues can often seem complex, technical and divisive, and this can be a barrier to building support behind reforms.
To address this barrier, the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region has launched a new series of briefs for parliamentarians on the co-benefits of action on climate change and the environment.
Parliaments play a crucial role in supporting the health of the people they represent by enacting legislation and monitoring their impact, debating and approving budgets, holding governments to account, and enabling actions on the ground that will fulfil national and international commitments.
Actions taken by today’s parliamentarians can determine the health and prosperity of future generations, and actions to address the harms of climate change and environmental issues can lead to numerous co-benefits, including positive effects for health and the achievement of other social and economic goals. For example, clean air and green spaces improve people’s living environment and have positive effects on well-being, including potentially increasing people’s physical activity levels, which in turn may reduce their risk of contracting many noncommunicable diseases that are prevalent in the region. This may have the effect of reducing health-care costs, improving productivity, and thereby increasing national income. With this in mind, the series of briefs provides talking points on why action is needed and practical guidance in the areas of law-making, representation, leadership, budgeting oversight and accountability.
These “back pocket” briefs use simple language to explain how climate change and the environment can impact health. They cover topics such as air pollution; chemical safety; climate-resilient health care; and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in health-care facilities. Each brief also includes concrete actions parliamentarians can take to promote beneficial legislation leading to co-benefits including cost-savings and improved health outcomes.
The briefs were discussed with parliamentarians at the Seventh Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (APPFGH) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where they were widely praised as a useful aid in furthering the discussion on the impact of climate change on people’s health and in helping parliamentarians identify and promote suitable legislations and policies in their countries.
WHO is working closely with governments across the Western Pacific Region to advocate on climate action and build climate-resilient health systems. Watch this video to find out more:
Download the briefs here: Brief for parliamentarians