Six proven climate and health measures could save 1.6 million lives a year while delivering trillions of dollars in economic and fiscal gains, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released today.
Scaling up these measures globally, from heat-health warning systems and climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene to clean household energy and efficient fossil fuel pricing policies, could generate US $3.9 trillion in economic welfare benefits annually, while also helping to cut carbon emissions. They could deliver a further US$ 5.4 trillion a year in fiscal benefits.
The report, Global benefits and costs of prioritized actions on climate change and health, is the first comprehensive analysis of the economic and fiscal returns from taking six WHO-recommended actions to scale. Together, the findings point to a triple dividend from these climate actions: healthier people, lower emissions, and stronger economies, the report added.
“The climate crisis is a health crisis, but much of the harm it causes can be prevented with tools we already have,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Released ahead of COP31, where governments are expected to share their climate commitments, the report underscores that many health impacts of climate change are preventable with solutions available today. But these solutions must be implemented across health and health-determining sectors to help anticipate, prevent, prepare for and reduce climate-related health risks.
The report estimates that scaling up the six actions globally could prevent 1.6 million deaths annually-equivalent to one in every 40 deaths, based on modelled projections. The six actions include: heat-health warning systems; climate-resilient drinking-water services; basic sanitation services; hygiene and handwashing facilities; cleaner household fuels and technologies for cooking and heating; and efficient fossil fuel pricing policies.
The actions could also help avoid 16.7 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to 31% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions excluding land use, land use change and forestry.
Across five of the actions, every US$ 1 invested is estimated to yield US$ 24 in benefits. Benefits are estimated to be greater in low- and middle-income countries, helping reduce health and economic inequalities.
Heat-health warning systems would be among the most cost-beneficial measures assessed, with an estimated return of US $ 835 for every US$1 invested, reflecting their ability to leverage existing systems and prevent heat-related illnesses at relatively low cost.
Efficient fossil fuel pricing policies, including removing inefficient subsidies and appropriately taxing these fuels, would generate the largest gains. These policies are estimated to prevent 1.2 million deaths and generate US$ 3 trillion in economic welfare benefits and US $5.4 trillion in fiscal benefits annually.
In 2026, countries around the world are facing record-breaking climate shocks. Protecting people and the planet from the impacts of climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. WHO calls on governments, development partners, and financing institutions to act on this economic evidence and invest in these proven actions for health, climate and economies.
