Weak institutions and fragmented government decision-making are delaying climate and clean-air measures that could return about $15 for every dollar invested, a United Nations-backed report said.
The assessment by the UN Environment Programme and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition found that many of the main barriers to action are institutional rather than technical. Siloed decision-making, limited enforcement capacity, inadequate financing and weak coordination among ministries are preventing proven measures from being implemented at the speed and scale needed.
The report, Hidden assets: The economic and health case for climate and clean air action, assessed 25 measures covering energy and fossil fuel systems, industry, transport, agriculture and food systems, residential cooking and heating, and waste management.
Every dollar invested in the measures could generate about $15 in economic benefits, with market returns exceeding implementation costs within 10 years and an internal rate of return of 60%, according to the assessment.
“For too long, we have treated climate action as a cost to be managed and air pollution as the unfortunate outcome of development,” UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said.
“This report shows the opposite: clean air is a key driver of development, health, food and energy security, and climate stability – an asset we must invest in,” Andersen added.
Annual benefits from implementing the measures could equal 2.8% of global gross domestic product by 2035, 4.5% by 2050 and 11.4% by 2100. Even without counting non-market gains such as the value of longer and healthier lives, the measures could return about $4 for every dollar invested.
“A benefit-cost ratio of 15 to 1 would attract capital instantly in almost any other sector,” said Elliott Harris, independent co-chair of the assessment. “Every year of delay costs the world more than $1.5 trillion in benefits we will not get back.”
The report identified institutional barriers as the single largest contributor to implementation delays. It said stronger institutional capacity, financing, enforcement and coordination could bring full implementation forward by as much as a decade.
Human-caused outdoor air pollution from fine particulate matter and ozone was linked to an estimated 6.4 million premature deaths worldwide in 2025. Household air pollution contributed an estimated 2 million more premature deaths, including about 300,000 children.
Full implementation of the 25 measures could prevent an estimated 144 million premature deaths from air pollution by 2050, along with hundreds of millions of cases of chronic disease, the assessment found.
The burden is disproportionately concentrated in poorer countries. About 95% of premature deaths attributed to air pollution occur in lower-income countries, while South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East face combined pollution and climate risks equivalent to more than 5% of regional GDP by 2100.
For rapidly developing regions across Asia, changes in power generation and household energy systems were among the measures expected to deliver the largest near-term benefits.
The 25 measures include renewable power, energy efficiency, clean cooking and heating, stronger vehicle emission standards, electric vehicles, controls on oil and gas leaks, improved livestock and manure management, and more efficient fertilizer use.
Immediate implementation could halve global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, reduce methane emissions by 60% and cut black carbon and major air pollutants by about 70%, according to the assessment.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said “accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels is one of the fastest and most effective ways to clean the air while tackling the climate crisis.”
The report was released Sept. 7, the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies.
It called on governments to make integrated climate and clean-air policy a core economic strategy by incorporating both into national growth plans, fiscal frameworks and investment strategies. It also urged greater investment in institutional capacity, coordination, enforcement and financing to speed up implementation.
