The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have published a report, titled ‘Economic cost of the health impact of air pollution in Europe: Clean air, health and wealth' assessing the economic burden of deaths and diseases resulting from outdoor and indoor air pollution in region.
28 April 2015: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have published a report, titled ‘Economic cost of the health impact of air pollution in Europe: Clean air, health and wealth,’ which assesses the economic burden of deaths and diseases resulting from outdoor and indoor air pollution in region.
According to the report, in 2010, air pollution in Europe cost US$1.6 trillion in premature deaths and diseases, which is nearly equivalent to one-tenth of the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013. “The economic cost of deaths alone accounts for over US$1.4 trillion,” the study finds. “Adding another 10% to this, as the cost of diseases from air pollution, results in a total of almost US$1.6 trillion.”
The economic value of deaths and diseases due to air pollution estimated at US$1.6 trillion corresponds to the amount “societies are willing to pay to avoid these deaths and diseases with necessary interventions.” “Reducing air pollution has become a top political priority,” stated Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The study was published as over 200 representatives from European countries, international organizations and civil society gathered in Haifa, Israel, from 28-30 April 2015, for a task force mid-term review of the WHO’s European Environment and Health Process (EHP). Participants considered achievements, gaps and challenges, and set future priorities. The ‘Economic cost of the health impacts of air pollution in Europe’ was one of many studies providing evidence on the environmental impacts on health released at the Haifa meeting.
According to another report, titled ‘Improving environment and health in Europe: how far have we gotten?’ and published by WHO and UNECE, one in four Europeans falls ill or dies prematurely from environmental pollution. Data from several priority areas, including water and sanitation, air quality, day-to-day surroundings of children’s lives, chemicals and asbestos, climate change and health inequalities, all point towards uneven progress. [WHO-Europe Press Release] [UN Press Release] [Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release] [Publication: Economic Cost of the Health Impact of Air Pollution in Europe: Clean Air, Health and Wealth] [Publication: Improving Environment and Health in Europe: How Far Have we Gotten?]