22 October 2015: The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report for policymakers on reducing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as black carbon, ozone, methane and carbon dioxide (CO2), which it says contribute to climate change and lead to more than seven million deaths linked to air pollution every year. Titled ‘Reducing global health risks through mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants,’ the report recommends immediate actions by which countries, health and environment ministries, and cities can reduce emissions, protect health and avoid illness and premature deaths.
The “scoping review” report rates more than 20 available and affordable measures to mitigate SLCPs, such as vehicle emissions standards, capturing landfill gas, switching from fossil fuels to renewables, reducing food waste and improving household cooking fuels, in order to determine which measures have the greatest potential to improve health, reduce SLCP emissions and prevent climate change.
WHO highlights the following four interventions to reduce SLCPs: reducing vehicular emissions by implementing higher emissions and efficiency standards; policies and investments that prioritize dedicated rapid transit, such as buses and trains, and foster safe pedestrian and cycle networks; providing cleaner and more efficient stove and fuel alternatives to the 2.8 billion low-income households that depend on wood, dung and other solid fuels for heating and cooking; and encouraging high- and middle-income populations to increase consumption of plant-based foods to reduce heart disease and some cancers.
The report builds on a 2011 assessment by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which estimated that global deployment of 16 SLCP reduction measures would prevent 2.4 million premature deaths annually by 2030. According to the updated estimates, however, that number could increase to 3.5 million lives saved annually by 2030, and up to 5 million lives per year by 2050.
WHO is piloting a number of approaches to cooperatively address the health impacts of air pollution in the urban health initiative it is leading with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC), Norway and other partners, which is expected to launch in four cities in 2016.
The report was produced in collaboration with the CCAC, a voluntary global partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society. The report comes in advance of WHO’s first climate change and health country profiles, a number of which will be released for the Paris Climate Change Conference, in December 2015. [UN Press Release] [WHO Press Release][Greening the Blue Press Release] [Publication: Reducing Global Health Risks through Mitigation of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants]