6 health, environmental measures could save 1.6 million lives annually: WHO

Expanding six measures covering public health, essential services, and environmental protection worldwide could prevent an estimated 1.6 million deaths annually while generating trillions of dollars in economic and fiscal benefits, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.

In a report released ahead of the UN's COP31 Climate Change Conference, starting next week in the Turkish city of Antalya, the UN health agency estimated that implementing these measures globally could deliver $3.9 trillion in annual economic welfare benefits and an additional $5.4 trillion in fiscal gains.

The proposed interventions include early warning systems for extreme heat, improved access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, cleaner household energy, and reforms to fossil fuel pricing.

"The climate crisis is a health crisis, but much of the harm it causes can be prevented with tools we already have," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the report.

According to the report, every dollar invested across five of the measures could generate an estimated $24 in benefits.

Heat-health warning systems could yield particularly high returns, with projected benefits of $835 for every dollar invested.

Reforming fossil fuel pricing, including removing inefficient subsidies, could prevent 1.2 million deaths annually and generate the largest economic and fiscal gains, the report said.

The six measures could also help avoid 16.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The WHO urged governments to increase investment in these interventions, noting that low- and middle-income countries could see the greatest benefits.