The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) published the first comprehensive global economic assessment of integrated action on climate change and air pollution. The report analyzes 25 solutions across energy and fossil fuel systems, industry, transport, agriculture and food systems, residential cooking and heating, and waste management that address climate change and air pollution in tandem. It concludes that every USD 1 invested in integrated action can generate around USD 15 in economic benefits.

Titled, ‘Hidden Assets: The Economic and Health Case for Climate and Clean Air Action,’ the report estimates that implementing the 25 measures could lead to annual economic benefits equivalent to:

• 2.8% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2035;
• 4.5% of global GDP in 2050; and
• 11.4% of global GDP in 2100.

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Meanwhile, it notes, fossil fuel subsidies in 2022 amounted to 2.18% of global GDP, and healthcare spending accounted for 9.3% of global GDP in 2023.

Among other measurable market benefits, the USD 15 return on investment encompasses lower healthcare expenditure, greater labor productivity, and avoided physical damage. It also includes the monetary value of fewer premature deaths and healthier lives, factoring in the economic effects of air pollution-related illness manifested in pressure on health services and losses to productivity and well-being.

The 25 recommended solutions that combine long-term decarbonization measures with measures that target super-pollutants such as methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) include energy transformation for power generation, energy efficiency standards for industry, energy transformation for households, clean cooking and heating, electric vehicles and vehicle emission standards, livestock and manure management, dietary changes, solid waste management, and wastewater treatment.

Relative to the report’s baseline scenario, immediate implementation of these measures would halve global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050, cut methane emissions by 60%, and slash major air pollutants such as black carbon, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides by around 70%. This would result in approximately 0.34°C in avoided global warming by 2050 and 1.4°C by 2100.

Among the most significant institutional barriers to integrated climate and air pollution action, the report identifies fragmented decision making, limited enforcement capacity, and weak government coordination. To overcome these barriers, the report recommends the following:

• Make integrated climate and clean air policy a core economic strategy.
• Invest early and consistently in enabling conditions.
• Target rapid wins to meet near-term commitments.
• Align international cooperation with realities of implementation and finance needs.
• Invest in the data and monitoring infrastructure that decisions depend on.

The 2026 report was issued on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, celebrated annually on 7 September. [Publication: Hidden Assets: The Economic and Health Case for Climate and Clean Air Action] [Executive Summary] [Publication Landing Page] [UNEP Press Release] [UN News Story]