The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said six climate and health interventions could save 1.6 million lives annually and generate $9.3tn in combined economic and fiscal benefits globally.
WHO said the interventions, if implemented at scale, could deliver $3.9tn in annual economic welfare benefits and an additional $5.4tn in fiscal gains, while significantly reducing carbon emissions.
WHO said the findings are contained in its new report titled Global Benefits and Costs of Prioritized Actions on Climate Change and Health, released on Wednesday ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The report identified six priority interventions, including heat-health warning systems, climate-resilient drinking water services, basic sanitation, hygiene and handwashing facilities, cleaner household fuels and technologies for cooking and heating, and efficient fossil fuel pricing policies.
According to WHO, scaling up the measures globally could prevent 1.6 million deaths every year, equivalent to one in every 40 deaths based on its projections.
The interventions could also help avoid 16.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, representing 31 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, excluding emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry.
The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the findings demonstrated that many health consequences of climate change could be prevented through affordable interventions already available.
“The climate crisis is a health crisis, but much of the harm it causes can be prevented with tools we already have,” he said.
Ghebreyesus added that scaling up proven interventions could save millions of lives, particularly in countries that need them most.
The report further estimated that every $1 invested in five of the six interventions would yield $24 in benefits, with low- and middle-income countries expected to record greater gains.
It identified heat-health warning systems as one of the most cost-effective interventions, estimating that every $1 invested could generate $835 in returns through the prevention of heat-related illnesses and the use of existing response systems.
However, efficient fossil fuel pricing policies, including the removal of inefficient subsidies and appropriate taxation of fossil fuels, were projected to deliver the largest overall gains.
The policies could prevent 1.2 million deaths annually, while generating $3 trillion in economic welfare benefits and $5.4 trillion in fiscal benefits.
WHO said the report was the first comprehensive analysis of the economic and fiscal returns from scaling up six of its recommended climate and health interventions.
It called on governments, development partners and financing institutions to use the economic evidence to prioritise investments that protect public health, reduce emissions and strengthen economies.
The report also urged countries preparing their climate commitments ahead of COP31 to place health protection at the centre of climate action, stressing the need for coordinated interventions across health and other sectors to anticipate, prevent and reduce climate-related risks.