Public health benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Using bicycles instead of cars has dual

health and environmental benefits.
Source: Commonwealth Secretariat
 

Actions to combat climate change can significantly improve the health of people in developing countries, a major international study has found.

Published as a series of papers in the Lancet this month, the research says health benefits caused by reducing greenhouse gas emissions will offset the costs of mitigation strategies and should be taken into consideration at the Climate Change talks in Copenhagen next month.

Led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the study modelled the impacts of climate change mitigation policies on public health in developed and developing countries, focusing on four areas: household energy, urban transport, electricity generation and food agriculture. 

Speaking at the launch event on 25 November, Professor Andy Haines, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and chair of the research team, called for greater collaboration between health professionals and scientists to tackle climate change. 

"We call on health professionals to reach beyond the conventional professional boundaries to collaborate with policy makers and scientists concerned with the study, development, and implementation of policies and technologies to mitigate climate change."

Key findings of the study

Household energy
Replacing traditional fuel stoves used in developing countries with low-emission stove technology would reduce mortality caused by actue respiratory infections while reducing greenhouse emissions. While in the UK, improving household insulation and ventilation could yield as much as 36% reduction in CO2 emissions and improve air quality. 

Urban transport
More active travel — walking and cycling instead of driving — would cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.    

Electricity generation
Changing to low-carbon electricity generation through improved technology and decreasing the use of coal would reduce deaths associated with air pollution, such as cadiopulmonary disease and respitorary infection in children.

Food and agriculture
A 30% drop in consumption of animal products would reduce heart disease and substantially decrease greenhouse gas emissions caused by farming and food production.

The study was funded by UKCDS members: the Wellcome Trust; the Department of Health; and the Economic and Social Research Council, as well as the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR); the Royal College of Physicians; the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and the Academy of Medical Sciences.