Health in the Green Economy

Exploring how health can benefit from low-carbon & energy-efficient development

WHO's Health in the Green Economy sector briefings examine the health impacts of climate change mitigation strategies considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their Fourth Assessment Report (Climate Change, 2007). Large, immediate health benefits from some climate change strategies are to be expected. Other strategies, however, may involve health risks or tradeoffs. These issues should be considered in the next round of IPCC mitigation reviews (Fifth Assessment Report [AR5]). See policy briefs on: Housing (English/Spanish), Urban Transport (English/Spanish), Household Energy in Developing Countries (English/Spanish), Health-Care Facilities (English/Spanish) and Occupational Health (English)

World Health Assembly Side Event, 20 May 2013

Air Pollution: A Major Health Risk – What Can We Do?

How reducing short-lived climate pollutants can lower the death toll

Reducing short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon, methane and tropospheric ozone can prevent a significant portion of what is now estimated to be 6 million deaths annually from air-pollution related disease1 – and slow near-term global warming by up to 0.5°C. Co-sponsored by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC), United Nations Environment Programme and the governments of Ghana, Norway

Key speakers:
• Dr Tore Godal — Norwegian PM’s Special Advisor on Global Health
• Ms Anna Gunilla Carlsson — Minister of International Development, Sweden
• Ms Sherry Ayittey — Minister of Health, Ghana
• Dr Veerabhadran Ramanathan — CCAC Science Advisory Panel & Director, Center for Atmospheric Sciences, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
• Dr Kalpana Balakrishnan — CCAC Science Advisory Panel & Head, Environmental Engineering Cell, Sri Ramachandra Medical College, India
• Dr Nino Künzli — Deputy Director, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
• Dr Maria Neira — Director, WHO Department of Public Health & Environment

• Download event flyer
  pdf, 1.91Mb
• Access livestream event coverage
• Follow this event on Twitter at: @CCACoalition

Green Economy as a Crosscutting theme in Rio+20 2012

Three key ways in which health can contribute to, and benefit from, greener and more energy efficient development include:

• Achieve universal health coverage - Healthy people are better able to learn, earn, and contribute positively to their societies. Protecting people from catastrophic health expenditures can help people fight disease, fight poverty, and stay healthy. Reducing gender, employment, and housing inequities also improves health.

• Enhance health gains from sustainable development investments and decisions – Health gain from development is not automatic. Strategies need to be designed with health in mind, including health impact assessment (HIA). WHO estimates that healthier environments in homes and workplaces, in rural settings and cities, including access to healthy foods, water, energy and transport, could prevent up to one quarter of deaths annually worldwide.

• Adopt health indicators to measure progress /achievements in sustainable development - Many key measurements of health can also tell us how well we are advancing sustainable development, and vice versa. Read More