Nine in ten countries now mention health in their national climate plans — but almost none measure or pay for the health benefits they promise, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report, “Ten years of the Paris Agreement: a global review of health in nationally determined contributions”, published on October 19.

Source: WHO report via Top Africa News

WHO reviewed 114 climate plan documents representing 140 Parties to the Paris Agreement, including the European Union's joint submission. It found 128 of the 140 — 91 per cent — mentioned health in their latest nationally determined contributions (NDCs), the plans through which governments set out their climate commitments.

91%of 140 Parties mention health in their climate plans
4 of 82Parties that quantified or monitored the health benefits they identified
32 of 140Parties that estimated the cost of their health measures
10Parties willing to fund any part from domestic sources

Recognition is rising fast: the share of Parties identifying health benefits from cutting emissions climbed from 10 per cent in WHO's 2020 review to 30 per cent in 2023 and 59 per cent in the latest assessment. Those benefits include cleaner air, fewer respiratory and heart illnesses, and gains from cleaner energy and transport. But of the 82 Parties that identified such benefits, only four — about 5 per cent — quantified or monitored them.

Targets and money are the missing pieces

Only 31 Parties included stand-alone targets or measures to cut air pollution and short-lived climate pollutants, and just 15 set emissions targets for the health sector itself, even though WHO estimates health care accounts for about 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Only 32 Parties estimated what their health measures would cost, and just 10 said any part would be funded unconditionally from domestic sources.

Source: WHO report via Top Africa News

Health Policy Watch, reporting the same WHO review alongside a Global Climate and Health Alliance scorecard, quoted WHO technical officer Amy Savage saying countries consistently name lack of finance as the greatest barrier: “Health still remains chronically underfunded within climate finance mechanisms.”

Source: Health Policy Watch

The report points to Nepal as an example of a specific commitment: its plan targets upgrading 140 health facilities by 2030 and 280 by 2035 to be low-carbon and climate-resilient, including solar backup power. Vanuatu estimated its health and nutrition commitments would cost about US$62 million between 2025 and 2035 — yaani roughly 6.2 crore US dollars — with almost US$52 million of that dependent on outside funding.

WHO says the next round of plan updates, expected in 2030, is the chance for governments to add proper health assessments, measurable targets and clear financing. For now, the agency's verdict is that recognition has run far ahead of measurement — and of money.

What is solid

  • WHO reviewed 114 plan documents covering 140 Parties; 128 (91%) mention health in their latest climate plans.
  • Only 4 of the 82 Parties that identified health benefits from emissions cuts quantified or monitored those benefits.
  • Only 32 Parties costed their health measures and only 10 committed any unconditional domestic funding.

What is only claimed

  • WHO cautions its review covers what plans explicitly say; some countries may act on climate and health through separate policies not counted here.