NCDs & CLIMATE CHANGE SHARED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION

The document highlights the synergies between climate change mitigation and the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), identifying key areas for multisectoral intervention. It emphasizes that shifting to clean energy, promoting active transport, and adopting sustainable food systems can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and NCD risk factors like air pollution and physical inactivity. The briefing advocates for policy coherence across government ministries and a whole-of-society approach to achieve these health and environmental co-benefits.

• Climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are interconnected global challenges; NCDs already account for 68 percent of global mortality, while climate change is projected to cause several hundred thousand deaths annually by 2030.
• Air pollution is a major shared risk factor for both climate change and NCDs. Indoor air pollution, primarily from unclean cookstoves used by around 3 billion people, increases risks of stroke, respiratory diseases, and lung cancer, while outdoor air pollution causes 3.7 million premature deaths annually.
• Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy provides significant health and economic benefits. Coal-fired power has mortality rates over 1,000 times higher per trillion kilowatt hours than wind power, and fossil fuel-related health impacts cost the US economy between USD 362 to USD 887 billion annually.
• Promoting active transport, such as walking and cycling, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and combats physical inactivity, which causes 3.2 million deaths annually. Examples include Bogotà's 'Ciclovía' and London's 'congestion charge', the latter of which saved 1,888 years of life in its first five years.
• Sustainable food and agriculture systems can reduce NCDs and climate impacts. Livestock production is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding all forms of transport combined. Shifting toward plant-based diets and locally sourced food, such as Brazil's National School Meals Program, improves nutrition and reduces emissions.
• Effective action requires multisectoral collaboration and policy coherence across government ministries (health, environment, energy, transport, and agriculture) and a whole-of-society approach involving the private sector, academia, and civil society.

APA

Beagley, J., & Braithwaite, I. (n.d.). NCDs & CLIMATE CHANGE SHARED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ClimateChangeNCDs_BRIEF_EN_web_0.pdf

Chicago

Beagley, Jess, and Isobel Braithwaite. NCDs & CLIMATE CHANGE SHARED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION. Global Climate and Health Alliance, n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ClimateChangeNCDs_BRIEF_EN_web_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Beagley |first1=Jess |last2=Braithwaite |first2=Isobel |title=NCDs & CLIMATE CHANGE SHARED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ClimateChangeNCDs_BRIEF_EN_web_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{beagleyndncds, author = {Beagley, Jess and Braithwaite, Isobel}, title = {{NCDs \& CLIMATE CHANGE SHARED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ClimateChangeNCDs_BRIEF_EN_web_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }