The World Health Organisation (WHO) says implementing six climate and health measures globally could prevent an estimated 1.6 million deaths annually, reduce carbon emissions and generate trillions of dollars in economic and fiscal benefits.
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Key Highlights
- WHO says six climate and health measures could prevent about 1.6 million deaths a year.
- The measures could avoid 16.7 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
- Projected gains: $3.9 trillion in economic welfare benefits and $5.4 trillion in fiscal benefits yearly.
- Heat-health warning systems could return $835 for every $1 invested.
- The report was released ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20.
The UN health agency disclosed this in a report released on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled to hold in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20.
The six priority measures
The report, titled “Global Benefits and Costs of Prioritized Actions on Climate Change and Health,” identified heat-health warning systems, climate-resilient drinking water services, basic sanitation, hygiene and handwashing facilities, cleaner household fuels and technologies, and efficient fossil fuel pricing policies as the six priority interventions.
According to the WHO, scaling up the measures can prevent approximately 1.6 million deaths every year, equivalent to one in every 40 deaths based on its modelled projections.
The interventions can also help avoid 16.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, representing about 31 percent of global annual greenhouse gas emissions when emissions from land use and related activities are excluded.
A “triple dividend” worth trillions
The report estimated that the measures can generate $3.9 trillion in annual economic welfare benefits and an additional $5.4 trillion in fiscal benefits.
It explained that the economic gains would come from improved health, increased productivity, fewer climate-related disasters and reduced healthcare costs, while the fiscal benefits would accrue through government revenue.
The WHO described the projected gains as a “triple dividend” of healthier people, lower emissions and stronger economies. It further estimated that every US$1 invested across five of the interventions could generate US$24 in benefits.
Heat-health warning systems were identified among the most cost-effective measures, with an estimated return of $835 for every $1 invested.
The report also highlighted the potential impact of more efficient fossil fuel pricing policies, including removing inefficient subsidies and introducing appropriate taxes on fossil fuels.
According to the agency, such policies could prevent 1.2 million deaths annually while generating about US$3 trillion in economic welfare benefits and US$5.4 trillion in fiscal benefits.
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Tedros: “The climate crisis is a health crisis”
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said many of the health consequences of climate change could be prevented using existing 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.
Tedros urged governments, development partners and financing institutions to invest in the recommended interventions, stressing that the greatest benefits could be recorded in countries that need them most.
The WHO, however, acknowledged that its projections were based on ambitious global implementation scenarios and were subject to data gaps, limitations in available evidence and uncertainties associated with long-term estimates.
The report assessed the potential health, environmental, economic and fiscal effects of expanding the six interventions, comparing scenarios with and without increased implementation over the 2024–2075 period.
As world leaders prepare for COP31, the WHO called for health protection to become a central consideration in climate policies and international climate commitments.
Tedros said governments should place the protection of human health at the centre of their climate action efforts.
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