Estimating The Costs Of Inaction And The Economic Benefits Of Addressing The Health Harms Of Climate Change.

Vijay S Limaye,Wendy Max,Juanita Constible,Kim Knowlton

doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01109

Abstract

National and international assessments have drawn attention to the substantial economic risks of climate change. The costs of climate-sensitive health outcomes responsive to meteorological or seasonal patterns are among the least studied of those risks. In this article we describe how cost valuation analyses that relate climate-sensitive health outcomes to damages in economic terms can illuminate the costs of inaction on the climate crisis and the economic savings of addressing this problem. We identify major challenges to expanding the application of climate-health valuation research and suggest solutions to overcome these obstacles to better characterize the burden of climate-sensitive health outcomes and health disparities. The projected health and economic harms of climate-sensitive risks could be enormous if climate change continues to accelerate and communities are not prepared to reduce or prevent their impact. Expanded valuation of climate-sensitive health outcomes can inform policies that slow climate change and promote stronger investments in health-protective climate change adaptation efforts.

Highlights

Key Challenges And Potential SolutionsThere is a need to improve the existing climatehealth valuation evidence base, its dissemination, and its utility for policy makers
R ecent national and international climate change assessments have expressed the harms of climate change in a new way, highlighting the economic threat they pose
In this article we describe how cost valuation analyses that relate climatesensitive health outcomes to damages in economic terms can illuminate the costs of inaction on the climate crisis and the economic savings of addressing this problem

Summary

Key Challenges And Potential Solutions

There is a need to improve the existing climatehealth valuation evidence base, its dissemination, and its utility for policy makers. This can be done by expanding the scope and application of climate-health valuation analyses to consider health outcomes from complex climate-sensitive exposures such as wildfires and coastal storms;. Expanded valuation analyses of the costs of climate-sensitive outcomes are urgently needed to inform public policy. Characterizing longer-term health burdens on patients, families, and caregivers;[32] synthesizing valuation assessments using consistent methods; quantifying costs for both recent exposures and projected future exposures;[11] and ensuring that health-related economic findings are not confined to the peer-reviewed literature or large climate assessment reports but flow into the public dialogue and policy spheres to motivate more ambitious mitigation and adaptation actions. The following sections describe in more detail some strategies to overcome the challenges

Demonstrating Benefits Of Adaptation

Enhancing Staff Capacity And Application

Conclusion