Colombia: Assessing health co-benefits of air quality and climate change mitigation actions

There is a growing consensus that post COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts should address as priorities the public health emergency from air pollution and the global climate crisis. Collaborative efforts from the health and environmental sectors are critical to develop solutions with multiple benefits for public health and the environment, while largely contributing to build more equitable societies, boosting employment and fostering economic prosperity.   

A coordinated approach by the health and environment sectors, articulated with other government branches at all levels, is necessary to better tackle the multiple health implications of climate change and air pollution. Such an approach will also enhance results for public health, well-being, and equality, and remove burdens for vulnerable groups.   

These benefits are numerous in Colombia, a country faced with several vulnerabilities to climate change and air pollution. Nearly 60% of the Colombian population live in municipalities classified as very high risk to climate change. The health impacts from environmental risk factors impose a heavy cost to the national economy: between 8,000 and 17,500 annual premature deaths, leading to economic loses valuated in 12.2 billion Colombian pesos -or 1.5% of the GDP.  

Under the Paris Agreement, Colombia has committed to reduce its emissions by 20% by 2030 with no condition, and by an additional 30% if international assistance is provided. 

Increase national capacity to incorporate a health dimension into climate and clean air interventions and into the post-COVID green recovery planning processes:  

• Streamlined the health databases to local level mortality and morbidity databases in the targeted cities. This work supported the assessment of health co-benefits of air quality improvements as well as climate change mitigation actions, lastly facilitating the reporting of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Indicators 11.6.2 (Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities) and 3.9.1 (Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution).  
• Estimated the burden of disease attributable to air pollution in targeted cities. 
• Identified measures to promote health that aim at reducing the population’s exposure to air pollution while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  

Estimate the health sector’s carbon footprint and identifying strategies for a clean energy transition: 

• Identified activities that generate greenhouse gas emissions in the health sector. 
• Developed a methodology to estimate greenhouse gas, SLCP and atmospheric pollutant emissions from the health sector based on country and international experiences and best practices. 
• Identified, assessed and prioritised mitigation actions focused on clean energy and estimate reduction scenarios.  

Capacity building to support the decision-making process and high-level leadership engagement: 

• Prepared training materials and case studies on the main components of the project.
• Held a virtual training course to support a continuous program for health and environmental officers on estimating health co-benefits of mitigation actions, make a tutored version available to the BreatheLife Network. 
• Organised a workshop to facilitate multiagency and multi-stakeholder dialogue to discuss the further integration of project results into policy instruments from both the health and environment sector. 

More information about the project is available on the Clean Air Institute’s website.