To accurately assess climate change mitigation activities, stakeholders need to consider other benefits, too. For instance, lower emissions could produce savings in the form of lower health care costs, reductions in premature death and greater well-being.
Research backs this up
In a recent study published in Climatic Change, we examined the potential health care savings from reducing greenhouse gas emissions through different CO2-reduction activities in the United States. We found the reduction in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution that would accompany such activities could result in fewer health problems, potentially saving between $6 billion and $14 billion in health care costs in 2020, depending on the activity pursued. That’s $40 to $93 in health care savings per metric ton of CO2 reduction.
These same reduction activities could yield $10 billion to $24 billion in savings if implemented more rapidly. This is because, in our rapid-implementation scenario, 40 percent of the reduction activities’ CO2 goals for 2060 are achieved by 2020, compared to 20 percent under normal implementation.
Our results also indicate that avoiding adverse health outcomes from emissions offsets the costs of implementing climate change policies.
We also looked, specifically, at the health care savings associated with increasing the efficiency of coal-fired power plants, a pillar of the new EPA rules. We found that doing so could result in nearly $8 billion in health benefits, or $13 billion under the rapid-implementation scenario.
This kind of rigorous assessment of the health impacts of climate change mitigation is essential for guiding policy decisions, particularly as EPA’s emissions rules often face significant legal challenges.
Read more at Health Benefits of Addressing Climate Change
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