Africa Could Reap Big From Tackling Climate Change and Pollution Together, UN Report

Tackling climate change and air pollution together could generate about US$15 in economic benefits for every US$1 invested, while preventing millions of premature deaths and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new United Nations assessment.

The report, Hidden Assets: The Economic and Health Case for Climate and Clean Air Action, published on 7 September by the UN Environment Programme UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition CCAC, identifies 25 measures that could address both crises simultaneously.

These include expanding renewable energy and energy efficiency, improving access to clean cooking, tightening vehicle-emission standards, increasing electric vehicle use, reducing methane leaks and gas flaring, improving agricultural practices and waste management, and phasing down hydrofluorocarbons. The assessment finds that acting on the two crises together delivers greater economic benefits than addressing climate change and air pollution separately.

“This report provides the most rigorous evidence yet that treating climate change and air pollution as separate problems causes us to underestimate the benefits of tackling either,” said Simon Dietz, co-chair of the assessment and professor of environmental policy at the London School of Economics.

In 2025, human caused outdoor air pollution, including exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone, was linked to an estimated 6.4 million premature deaths worldwide. Household air pollution caused a further 2 million premature deaths, including about 300,000 children.

Air pollution also contributed to an estimated 5.5 million new cases of childhood asthma and 2 million new cases of dementia in 2025, according to the assessment.The economic case for action is equally significant. The 25 measures would generate benefits equivalent to 2.8% of global GDP in 2035, rising to 4.5% in 2050 and 11.4% by 2100.

Even when only direct market benefits such as reduced healthcare costs, increased productivity and avoided physical damage are counted, the measures would generate about US$4 for every US$1 invested. Including wider benefits such as improved wellbeing and fewer premature deaths raises the return to around US$15.

Africa could see some of the highest returns

The economic case is particularly significant in Africa, where many countries face high exposure to air pollution while also being highly vulnerable to climate change.

Southern Africa has the highest benefit-to-cost ratio among the regions assessed, with every US$1 invested potentially generating about US$26 in benefits. Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa could each generate about US$11 for every US$1 invested.

The measures could avoid damages equivalent to about 3.5% to 4% of GDP by 2035 in Sub-Saharan and Southern Africa. By 2100, the avoided damages could reach 8.5% of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa and 13.5% in Southern Africa.

Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, access to clean cooking remains low, leaving millions of households dependent on wood, charcoal and other polluting fuels. The latest UN energy data shows that only about one in five people in sub-Saharan Africa had access to clean cooking in 2024.Clean cooking is one area where the health, economic and climate benefits intersect particularly strongly.

Dr. Caradee Wright, Chief Specialist Scientist and lead of the Climate Change and Human Health Research Programme at the South African Medical Research Council, said clean cooking should be treated as a core development and health priority.

“Clean cooking isn’t a side issue, it’s central to Africa’s health and economic future. With only one in five Africans having access to clean cooking fuels, closing the gap is a powerful investment in lungs, livelihoods and the climate.”

The benefits of integrated action extend beyond household energy. In North Africa, for example, reducing methane leaks, venting and flaring from oil and gas operations is among the measures with significant potential benefits. Across the continent, cleaner transport, renewable energy, more efficient appliances and better waste management could also reduce both pollution and emissions.

Gerphas Opondo, Executive Director of the Environmental Compliance Institute, said governments should avoid treating climate change and air pollution as separate policy issues.

“Africa cannot afford to tackle climate change and air pollution in isolation. Integrated action can save lives, cut pollution and strengthen economies, while ensuring the greatest benefits reach communities carrying the greatest burden.”

Large climate benefits

The assessment also finds that implementing the 25 measures immediately could significantly reduce global emissions.Compared with the report's baseline scenario, full implementation could halve global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, reduce methane emissions by about 60% and cut major air pollutants, including black carbon, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, by around 70%.

The measures could avoid approximately 0.34°C of global warming by 2050 and 1.4°C by 2100. By the end of the century, carbon dioxide emissions under the scenario could become net negative, while major air pollutants could fall by as much as 85%.

The health gains would also be substantial. Full implementation could prevent an estimated 144 million air-pollution-related premature deaths by 2050, including 96 million deaths linked to outdoor air pollution, as well as hundreds of millions of cases of chronic disease.

The cost of delay

Despite the scale of the potential benefits, implementation remains slow.The assessment identifies fragmented policymaking, weak enforcement capacity and poor coordination between government institutions as some of the biggest barriers. Globally, these institutional barriers could delay implementation by almost eight years.

The report estimates that addressing such barriers through stronger institutions, better coordination, fiscal incentives, regulation and capacity building could accelerate implementation and unlock up to US$10 trillion in additional health benefits by 2040.

The cost of implementing the 25 measures is estimated at about 0.7% of global GDP annually today, falling to around 0.5% by the end of the century. By comparison, global government spending on explicit fossil-fuel subsidies was equivalent to 2.18% of GDP in 2022.

For African countries, the findings point to an opportunity to address several development challenges through the same investments: expanding affordable energy access, reducing household pollution, improving public health, creating more efficient transport and energy systems, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said the findings challenge the perception that climate action is primarily an economic cost.“For too long, we have treated climate action as a cost to be managed and air pollution as the unfortunate outcome of development. 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,” said Anderson.