<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/reducing-climate-pollutants/en/">http://who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/reducing-climate-pollutants/en/</a><br><h1 class="">New report identifies four ways to reduce health risks from climate pollutants</h1>
<div class="">
<p><span class="">News release</span>
</p>
</div>
<p>
<em class="">22 October 2015 | GENEVA -</em>
<span>A new WHO report highlights the urgent need to reduce
emissions of black carbon, ozone and methane - as well as carbon
dioxide – which all contribute to climate change. Black carbon, ozone
and methane – frequently described as short-lived climate pollutants
(SLCPs) - not only produce a strong global warming effect, they
contribute significantly to the more than 7 million premature deaths
annually linked to air pollution.</span></p>
<p>
<span>The report, <i>Reducing global health risks through mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants</i>,
produced in collaboration with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to
Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, reveals that interventions to cut
SLCPs can reduce disease and death and contribute to food security,
improve diets and increase physical activity.</span></p>
<p>
<span>“Every day, these pollutants threaten the health of men, women
and children,” says Dr Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General at
WHO. “For the first time, this report recommends actions that countries,
health and environment ministries, and cities can take right now to
reduce emissions, protect health and avoid illness and premature deaths,
which often take the greatest toll on the most vulnerable.”</span></p>
<p>
<span>The report builds off a 2011 assessment by the UN Environment
Programme and World Meteorological Organization that estimated that a
global deployment of 16 SLCP reduction measures would prevent an average
of 2.4 million premature deaths annually by 2030. New estimates could
raise that to 3.5 million lives saved annually by 2030, and between 3 to
5 million lives per year by 2050. These latest projections take into
account WHO’s latest data on deaths linked to air pollution as well as
some new SLCP measures.</span></p>
<p>
<span>"Quick action to reduce black carbon, methane and other ozone
precursors are much needed now, " says Helena Molin Valdés, head of the
UNEP-hosted CCAC. “We know that the sooner we start reducing these
pollutants the sooner we will relieve the pressures on climate and human
health.”</span></p>
<h4 class="">Top actions for health and climate benefits</h4>
<p>
<span>WHO rated more than 20 available and affordable measures to
mitigate short-lived climate pollutants, including vehicle emissions
standards, capturing landfill gas, switching from fossil fuels to
renewables, reducing food waste and improving household cooking fuels,
to see which have the greatest potential to improve health, reduce SLCP
emissions and prevent climate change. </span></p>
<p>
<span>Four interventions rated medium to high in all three categories.</span></p>
<ul class=""><li>Reducing vehicle emissions by implementing higher emissions and
efficiency standards could reduce black carbon and other co-pollutants
from fossil fuels, improve air quality and reduce the disease burden
attributable to outdoor air pollution. </li><li>Policies and investments that prioritize dedicated rapid transit
such as buses and trains and foster safe pedestrian and cycle networks
can promote multiple benefits, including: safer active travel and
reduced health risks from air and noise pollution, physical inactivity,
and road traffic injuries.</li><li>Providing cleaner and more efficient stove and fuel alternatives
to the approximately 2.8 billion low-income households worldwide
dependent on primarily wood, dung and other solid fuels for heating and
cooking, could reduce air pollution-related diseases and reduce the
health risks and time invested in fuel-gathering. </li><li>Encouraging high and middle-income populations to increase their
consumption of nutritious plant-based foods could reduce heart disease
and some cancers, and slow methane emissions associated with some
animal-sourced foods. </li></ul>
<p>
<span>“The health benefits that may be obtained from these
strategies are far larger than previously understood, and they can be
enjoyed immediately and locally,” says Maria Neira, WHO Director,
Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of
Health. “The environment and health sectors can now prioritize
interventions to meet both of their goals—preventing climate change and
ensuring good health.” </span></p>
<h4 class="">The way forward</h4>
<p>
<span>The release of today’s report is a significant step in WHO’s
ongoing work to prevent diseases and deaths related to air pollution –
and towards achieving the new global health goal. Target 3.9 aims to “By
2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from
hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and
contamination.”</span></p>
<p>
<span>In May 2015, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to
address the health impacts of air pollution, which stresses the need
for strong cooperation between different sectors and integration of
health concerns into national, regional and local air-pollution-related
policies. </span></p>
<p>
<span>WHO is piloting a number of these approaches in the urban
health initiative it is leading with CCAC, Norway and other partners.
The initiative will be rolled out in 4 cities in 2016. As part of this
initiative, cost benefit analysis of key interventions recommended here
will be further assessed. </span></p>
<p>
<span>Evidence from previous WHO studies on healthy transport
already suggest that shifts to mass transport and the introduction of
safe walking and cycling networks are relatively inexpensive when
compared with the loss of life and costs of treating people for
air-pollution related illnesses, traffic injuries and diseases related
to physical inactivity. </span></p>
<h4 class="">Note for editors:</h4>
<p>
<span>The scoping review provides indicative ratings on three criteria.</span></p>
<ul class=""><li>A high certainty of producing a major SLCP-related climate
benefit, meaning the intervention must address an activity that is a
major source of SLCP emissions and there must be good evidence that
reductions in those emissions have a cooling effect.</li><li>A high likelihood of producing a major health benefit, meaning it
must reduce population exposure to risk factors that are associated
with substantial disease burdens. Examples of risk factors include:
outdoor and indoor air pollution, low physical activity, road traffic
injuries and risk factors associated with insufficient fruit and
vegetable intake.</li><li>Potential to reduce carbon dioxide and thus prevent climate change over the long term.</li></ul>
<p>
<span>This report comes ahead of the launch of WHO’s first climate
change and health country profiles, a number of which will be released
in advance of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21). </span></p>
<p>
<span><b>The Climate and Clean Air Coalition</b> is a voluntary
global partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations,
businesses, scientific institutions and civil society committed to
catalysing concrete, substantial action to reduce Short Lived Climate
Pollutants (including methane, black carbon and many
hydrofluorocarbons). The Coalition works through collaborative
initiatives to raise awareness, mobilize resources and lead
transformative actions in key emitting sectors. </span></p><br></div>