Climate, health actions could save 1.6 million lives yearly — WHO

The World Health Organization stated on Wednesday that implementing specific climate and health measures could save nearly 1.6 million lives annually and generate trillions of dollars for the economy. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that while the climate crisis is a health crisis, much of the resulting harm can be prevented using existing tools.

According to Free Malaysia Today, the agency proposed six concrete measures to provide a triple dividend of healthier populations, lower emissions, and stronger economies. These measures include heat-health warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure for sanitation and drinking water, improved hand hygiene, cleaner household energy sources, and more efficient fossil fuel pricing.

The report suggests these actions could avoid 16.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Free Malaysia Today reports that the measures could generate up to $5.4 trillion in fiscal benefits annually and provide a nearly $4 trillion economic boost by reducing healthcare costs, avoiding disasters, and saving lives. Punch Nigeria also noted that these actions could generate trillions in economic benefits.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Free Malaysia Today — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.