Climate change, cash transfers and health.

Frank Pega,Jennifer Yablonski,Caroline Shaw,Ichiro Kawachi,Simon Hales,Kumanan Rasanathan

doi:10.2471/blt.14.150037

Abstract

The forecast consequences of climate change on human health are profound, especially in low- and middle-income countries and among the most disadvantaged populations. Innovative policy tools are needed to address the adverse health effects of climate change. Cash transfers are established policy tools for protecting population health before, during and after climate-related disasters. For example, the Ethiopian Productive Safety Net Programme provides cash transfers to reduce food insecurity resulting from droughts. We propose extending cash transfer interventions to more proactive measures to improve health in the context of climate change. We identify promising cash transfer schemes that could be used to prevent the adverse health consequences of climatic hazards. Cash transfers for using emission-free, active modes of transport – e.g. cash for cycling to work – could prevent future adverse health consequences by contributing to climate change mitigation and, at the same time, improving current population health. Another example is cash transfers provided to communities that decide to move to areas in which their lives and health are not threatened by climatic disasters. More research on such interventions is needed to ensure that they are effective, ethical, equitable and cost–effective.

Highlights

Innovative policy tools are needed to address the adverse consequences of climate change.[1]
We propose the extension of cash transfer schemes to more proactive measures for improving health in the context of broader climate change and social protection policies and systems
In 2014, a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that: “Without additional efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond those in place today, emissions growth is expected to persist driven by growth in global population and economic activities

Summary

Introduction

Most cash transfers address key social determinants of health, including health-related environmental factors such as access to safe water and food security.[2,3] In some cases, cash transfers are linked, as part of broader social protection systems, to health insurance schemes and other programmes or policies designed to increase access to health services Such transfers are often targeted according to poverty or vulnerability criteria but some are universal.[2,3] They can be conditional – with a requirement for some specified behaviour – or they can be unconditional – given without obligation.[2,3] Bolsa Família is a targeted conditional cash transfer programme, where cash transfers are only paid to low-income families if the children in the families are being vaccinated and attending school.[19] A nearly-universal and unconditional cash transfer is the South African Child Support Grant.[20]. Cash incentives for climate change mitigation are currently generally provided as universal subsidies, they could be disbursed to poor or

Objective

Conclusion

29. Warm up New Zealand