Health: The Missing Metric to Drive Climate Ambition

Redacción HC
04/10/2025

Climate action is often framed in terms of carbon budgets and emission targets, but human health remains an overlooked driver of climate ambition. A recent PLOS Climate opinion article by Fabio Cresto Aleina and Jessica Beagley (2025) argues that health should no longer be treated as a mere “co-benefit” of climate policy. Instead, it must become a central metric in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)—the core policy instruments of the Paris Agreement—to save lives and accelerate climate action.

Why Health Belongs at the Core of NDCs

NDCs are the national climate action plans submitted by countries under the Paris Agreement. Traditionally, these plans focus on emission reductions and adaptation measures while treating health improvements—such as cleaner air or reduced heat-related deaths—as side effects. Cresto Aleina and Beagley contend that this perspective limits the political and social potential of climate action.

By embedding measurable health outcomes directly into climate targets, governments can strengthen public and political support. Citizens and policymakers often find health benefits more tangible and immediate than technical emissions targets. For example, reducing air pollution not only cuts greenhouse gases but also prevents respiratory illnesses, hospitalizations, and premature deaths.

Health-focused NDCs would also help prioritize cost-effective preventive measures over expensive emergency responses. Instead of reacting to climate-induced health crises, countries could proactively safeguard populations—an approach that is both ethically and economically sound.

Evidence from the UK and Kenya

To illustrate contrasting approaches, the authors analyze the United Kingdom and Kenya:

• United Kingdom: Its NDC aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 81% from 1990 levels by 2035. While it acknowledges health co-benefits in sectoral plans, it lacks explicit health metrics or dedicated funding for health adaptation.
• Keny a: In contrast, Kenya places health at the center of its NDC, including measures such as disease surveillance, water and sanitation improvements, and maternal and child health programs. This “whole-of-government” approach demonstrates that integrating health is feasible, though Kenya relies heavily on international climate finance for implementation.

These examples underscore the political and financial challenges of mainstreaming health in climate policy. Success requires not only technical expertise but also strong governance and targeted funding.

Practical Steps to Integrate Health into Climate Plans

Cresto Aleina and Beagley outline clear, actionable recommendations for countries updating their NDCs:

• Set measurable health objectives—for example, reducing heat-related deaths or improving air quality indicators.
• Engage the health sector—ensure ministries of health participate in drafting, monitoring, and evaluating NDCs.
• Align climate finance with health priorities—direct multilateral climate funds toward health-sensitive interventions.
• Establish robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems—to track health outcomes alongside emission reductions.

By quantifying immediate health gains, such as lower hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, governments can demonstrate the direct benefits of climate action and build public support for ambitious policies.

Relevance for Latin America and Other Vulnerable Regions

For Latin American countries, the stakes are particularly high. Rising heatwaves, the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, and growing food insecurity threaten millions. Incorporating health indicators—like reduced respiratory hospitalizations linked to air pollution or fewer vector-borne disease outbreaks—can galvanize citizen backing and attract international funding for health-focused climate adaptation.

By presenting measurable outcomes—such as avoided deaths or improved air quality—governments can show the tangible, everyday value of their climate policies. This visibility reinforces the legitimacy of climate action and helps secure sustainable financing.

A Call to Action: Climate Policy That Protects Lives

Health is not simply a side effect of climate action; it is a key measure of its success. As Cresto Aleina and Beagley emphasize, making health metrics central to NDCs is both an ethical imperative and a strategic move to increase climate ambition. Policymakers, health ministries, and international funders must collaborate to ensure that the next generation of NDCs explicitly measures how climate action protects human lives.

Topics of interest

Health