Recognising the existential threat posed by climate change, the OECD works across member countries to help guide sustainable, fair and resilient growth. The interconnected nature of climate change and its profound impact on human health underscores the need for integrated approaches. Leveraging the OECD’s strength in providing data-driven, evidence-based policy, the OECD aims to address climate change by facilitating informed decision-making and exchange of best practices across its member countries.

CONTEXT

Climate change already poses a threat to the health of populations, with profound implications for health systems. Estimates of premature deaths attributable to climate change from WHO suggests that in the absence of effective mitigation measures, as many as 250 000 climate-related additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 could occur. Simultaneously, the health care sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately between 4 to 6% of emissions among OECD countries based on existing international comparisons.

In response to this pressing challenge, the OECD is committed to offering guidance on policies that foster synergies between achieving health outcomes and environment consideration.

KEY DATA

Between the period 2000 and 2019, population exposure to ambient particular matter (PM2.5) among OECD countries exhibited an average decline of 32%. Despite this progress, exposure to PM2.5 remains high with most OECD countries exceeding the WHO air quality guidelines of 5 µg/m3 in the year. In 2019, the average annual mortality rate attributed to PM2.5 was 275.2 deaths per million. Notably, substantial reductions have been observed, with largest reductions in Norway (72%), Sweden (70%), and Estonia (68%).
However, mortality attributed to PM2.5 between 2000 and 2019 was not observed in all countries: in 7 countries (Japan, Costa Rica, Korea, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Türkiye), mortality associated with ambient particulate matter increased, including an increase of 20% or more in Japan (30%), Costa Rica (24%) and Korea (20%).

• For more information, read Environment at a Glance - OECD Indicators (September 2023)

 

Source: OECD, "Air quality and health: Mortality and welfare cost from exposure to air pollution", OECD Environment Statistics (database), https://doi.org/10.1787/c14fb169-en.
 

FURTHER READING

• Healthy and Sustainable Cities, forthcoming Summer 2024
• Healthy People, Healthy Planet (2017)
• Read about Environment and health in Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators (2023)
• Health Statistics
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