By Asaye Bankole
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that implementing six practical climate and health interventions could save approximately 1.6 million lives annually while generating trillions of dollars in economic benefits worldwide.
The global health agency disclosed this in a report released on Wednesday, ahead of the COP31 climate change conference scheduled to begin in Turkey next week.
According to the report, adopting measures such as heat-health early warning systems and climate-resilient infrastructure for drinking water and sanitation could significantly reduce climate-related health risks and prevent avoidable deaths.
Other recommended interventions include improved hand hygiene, the adoption of cleaner household energy sources and more efficient pricing of fossil fuels.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described climate change as a major public health emergency, stressing that many of its harmful consequences could be prevented through existing and affordable solutions.
“The climate crisis is a health crisis, but much of the harm it causes can be prevented with tools we already have,” he said.
The organisation explained that implementing the six proposed measures would deliver what it described as a “triple dividend” by improving public health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening national economies.
The report further estimated that the interventions could prevent the release of approximately 16.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Beyond the environmental and health benefits, the WHO projected that the measures could generate up to $5.4 trillion in annual fiscal benefits.
They could also deliver an additional economic boost of nearly $4 trillion through reduced healthcare expenditure, fewer climate-related disasters and the prevention of premature deaths.
However, the agency acknowledged that the projections were based on ambitious implementation scenarios and were subject to uncertainties arising from data limitations and other underlying factors.
Despite these challenges, Tedros maintained that expanding proven and affordable climate interventions could save millions of lives, particularly in countries facing the greatest health and environmental challenges.
He urged world leaders preparing for the COP31 conference in Turkey to make public health protection a central priority in their climate policies and commitments.
The WHO said stronger collaboration between governments and other stakeholders would be essential to ensuring that climate action delivers meaningful improvements in people’s health and living conditions.
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