Search Climate Insights Directory
1,247 results
How bad are fossil fuels actually
The document argues that the market price of fossil fuels fails to account for significant 'hidden costs' or externalities occurring during extraction, transport, and combustion. It details the severe health impacts of coal mining, such as black lung and cardiovascular disease, and the environmental degradation caused by mountaintop removal in Appalachia. The paper also examines the risks of oil and gas drilling, including methane leakage, water contamination from fracking, and catastrophic spills. Finally, it quantifies the economic burden of air pollution and global warming emissions, contrasting these with the lower impacts of renewable energy sources.
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Document type: Research paper
Biomass cookstove emissions: aerosol particle health, climate and environment
A systematic review of 187 articles finds that biomass cookstoves, used by approximately one-quarter of the global population, emit fine, organic carbon-rich particles that pose significant risks. The study reveals that real-world emission factors are consistently higher than laboratory measurements and that most improved or advanced stoves still fall into WHO polluting or transitional categories. The authors argue that current global policies fail to adequately reflect scientific evidence on particle properties.
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Document type: Research paper
More Extreme Heat in National Parks
The 25 most-visited national parks in the contiguous U.S. are projected to see a nearly five-fold increase in extremely hot days per year by 2050 under a 'warm wet' scenario, and up to a ten-fold increase under a 'hot dry' scenario. These trends, combined with record-breaking visitation, increase the risk of heat-related illnesses for visitors and threaten biodiversity and infrastructure. The National Park Service is implementing adaptation strategies, such as the Climate Change Response Strategy, to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Briefing
British Columbians are dying from fossil fuel pollution: Will BC’s Attorney General take on Big Oil?
The document argues that the British Columbia government should apply its strategy of recovering healthcare costs from harmful product manufacturers—such as those in the tobacco and opioid industries—to the fossil fuel sector. It highlights significant health and financial burdens on BC's healthcare system, including costs from the 2021 heat dome, wildfire smoke, and the spread of infectious diseases due to warming temperatures. The authors contend that fossil fuel companies have profited while engaging in misinformation, and they call for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and the recovery of expenses from the oil and gas industry.
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Document type: Statement
Advanced Clean Trucks Rule Impact Methodology
The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) developed an in-house methodology to model the impact of the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule on diesel emissions and public health. By layering ACT's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandates onto U.S. EPA emissions projections for 2032 and 2038, the model estimates avoided diesel fuel consumption and subsequent pollutant reductions. The analysis considers three scenarios: current adoption (11 states), expanded adoption (20 states), and full adoption across 48 contiguous states. To determine health impacts, the model uses the EPA's CO-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA) screening model to translate emission reductions into lives saved. For example, the model estimates that ACT enforcement in California in 2038 would reduce on-road diesel use by 547,681 gallons, representing a 16% reduction compared to a business-as-usual case, which would save 94 lives.
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Document type: Research paper
Diesel Health Impacts Methodology
The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) utilizes the U.S. EPA's CO-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA) screening model to estimate health impacts from 2026 diesel emissions. The methodology employs a damage function approach to translate emissions into ambient PM2.5 concentrations, then into adverse health effects such as premature mortality, and finally into monetized economic damages. For 2026, national attributable premature mortality is estimated to range from 3,700 to 8,500 deaths. Additionally, CATF calculates cancer risk using a California Air Resources Board (CARB) risk factor, estimating 220 lifetime cancers per million population for 2026 based on projected concentrations of 0.25 ug/m3.
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Document type: Guide
GCHA Submission: Consultation on the Draft NDC of Chile
The GCHA submission argues that Chile's climate action should be framed through a public health lens to maximize health co-benefits, increase public support, and reduce the disease burden on the healthcare sector. The document recommends aligning emissions targets with a 1.5°C limit, accelerating health-related climate risk assessments, and implementing specific mitigation actions within the healthcare sector, which currently accounts for 6.7% of national emissions. It further suggests phasing out diesel subsidies, accelerating the coal phase-out date to 2030, and deprivatizing water to protect public health. The GCHA emphasizes the need for disaggregated epidemiological data to protect vulnerable groups and suggests using WHO tools to quantify the economic returns of health-promoting climate actions.
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Document type: Statement
GCHA Submission: Consultation on the Draft NDC of Nepal
The GCHA submission argues that Nepal's climate action should be explicitly linked to public health outcomes to maximize co-benefits and protect vulnerable populations. It recommends strengthening the draft NDC 3.0 by aligning conditional emissions targets with 1.5°C limits, establishing specific targets for black carbon reduction, and creating a dedicated section on air quality. The document highlights significant health risks in Nepal, including a 68% increase in heat stress exposure since the 1990s and rising transmission potential for dengue. It also emphasizes the economic burden of climate-related health issues, noting that heat exposure caused an estimated US$2.8 billion in annual potential income loss between 2014 and 2023, with the agricultural sector bearing 91.5% of that impact.
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Document type: Statement
The Republic of Suriname’s First National Adaptation Plan Progress Report
The report evaluates the first 3.5 years of Suriname's NAP implementation, noting significant progress in forestry, environment, and spatial planning, but highlighting systemic barriers such as a lack of a formal coordinating entity, insufficient funding, and low stakeholder awareness.
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Document type: Report
Advancing the Scientific Integrity Act
The Union of Concerned Scientists advocates for the Scientific Integrity Act (H.R. 1106) to codify protections for federal scientists and ensure that independent science informs US policy. The brief highlights a history of political interference, noting 326 violations between 2001 and 2024, and argues that such interference endangers public safety and disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
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Document type: Policy brief
letter-to-congress-defending-epa-ord-iris-3-21-25-de7c6daaefa004c6.pdf
A coalition of 123 organizations argues that dismantling the EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) would undermine the scientific basis for protecting public health from toxic chemicals. The letter specifically opposes H.R. 1415 and S. 623, asserting that IRIS provides essential, peer-reviewed toxicity evaluations used for Superfund cleanups, air toxics standards, and drinking water safeguards. The authors warn that removing these scientific resources would increase risks of cancer and birth defects, particularly in industrial areas like Geismar, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas.
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Document type: Statement
Iran’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for priority sectors
The document is a Readiness and Preparatory Support proposal for the Islamic Republic of Iran, requesting USD 3,000,000 over 36 months to establish a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process. The project aims to address critical gaps in policy frameworks, inter-sectoral coordination, and technical capacity for vulnerability and risk assessments (VRA). It focuses on five priority sectors: water, agriculture, energy, health, and disaster risk management (DRM). The proposal outlines a theory of change involving the creation of sectoral plans, the development of a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, and the formulation of two integrated concept notes for future GCF funding. Implementation will be led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the Delivery Partner, with support from UNDP and WHO for specific sectors.
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Document type: Report
Advancing and integrating climate and health policies in Kenya
The study finds that while Kenya recognizes the link between climate change and public health, the two sectors operate independently in terms of policy formulation, planning, and budgeting. Barriers to integration include a siloed institutional approach, limited funding, and a perception of the health sector as a casualty rather than an adopter of climate policies. To overcome these, the authors suggest launching a Kenya Climate Change and Health Strategy, incorporating health issues into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and adopting holistic frameworks like the One Health model.
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Document type: Research paper
Advancing Climate Change and Health Policies in Germany: Insights from National Policy Stakeholders
The document examines the limited integration of health and climate policies in Germany, identifying systemic barriers such as financial constraints, federal governance complexities, and a weak science-to-policy interface. It highlights opportunities for synergy within health sector reforms and the untapped potential of climate-health co-benefits. Stakeholders recommend strengthening intersectoral collaboration, implementing binding legislative requirements, and improving the evidence base to achieve socially just and effective climate-health policies.
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Document type: Research paper
Biosecurity and the Republic of Georgia: Maintaining Progress in an Uncertain Future
The document details Georgia's evolution into a regional biosecurity leader through long-term partnerships with the US Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, specifically the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP). It highlights the establishment of the Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research as a critical hub for disease surveillance and pathogen security in the Caucasus. However, the authors warn that recent domestic political turmoil—including a contested 2024 election, the 'foreign agents' bill, and the suspension of EU accession—combined with persistent Russian disinformation campaigns targeting Georgian labs, jeopardizes these security gains and global health security.
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Document type: Briefing
Longer Growing Season, Longer Allergy Season in 172 U.S. Cities
Climate Central's analysis of 198 U.S. cities shows that 87% have experienced longer freeze-free growing seasons since 1970, increasing by an average of 20 days. This trend, driven by carbon pollution and warming, extends the period plants release pollen, worsening seasonal allergies for millions, including approximately 19% of U.S. children. The report highlights that CO2 levels also boost pollen production, potentially increasing it by 200% by the end of the century, with disproportionate health impacts on Black and Puerto Rican children who face higher asthma risks.
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Document type: Report
Advancing Integration of Climate and Health Policies in the Caribbean
The report identifies a critical need to accelerate the integration of health and climate policies in the Caribbean to address climatic vulnerability and a dual burden of non-communicable and infectious diseases. While there is general support for this integration, current links remain nascent and tenuous. Key barriers include siloed government operations, a rigid top-down policymaking process, inadequate financial and technical resources, and significant data gaps. Opportunities for progress lie in national development plans, international climate commitments, and the health co-benefits of renewable energy. The authors advocate for a 'climate in all policies' approach, enhanced multi-sectoral communication, and the use of analytical risk assessment tools to move from awareness to decisive policy action.
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Document type: Research paper
Clean Air, Healthy Lives
The report argues that air pollution is a critical global health threat, causing 7 million premature deaths annually, and advocates for a strategic, integrated approach within health systems. It outlines a pathway involving Health Impact Assessments (HIA), health infrastructure assessments, capacity building for professionals, and cross-sectoral collaboration. Through case studies from India, the UK, Singapore, the Philippines, and South Africa, it demonstrates how data-driven tools like WHO's AirQ+, solarization of clinics, and community-led legal action can mitigate health burdens and drive systemic policy change.
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Document type: Report
Aire limpio, vidas saludables
The report argues that air pollution is a critical global health threat, causing 7 million premature deaths annually, and advocates for a systemic integration of air quality management within health systems. It outlines a five-part framework: conducting health impact assessments (HIAs), evaluating health system infrastructure and vulnerability, strengthening capacity through early warning systems and professional training, fostering intersectoral and transboundary leadership, and incorporating community needs into policy. Through global case studies, it demonstrates how tools like the WHO's AirQ+ software in Trinidad and Tobago, solarization of health centers in Chhattisgarh, India, and the transboundary haze management of ASEAN can reduce the health burden and improve system resilience.
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Document type: Report
REPEALING FEDERAL ENERGY TAX CREDITS WOULD COST AMERICAN JOBS AND INCREASE HOUSEHOLD ENERGY BILLS
The report argues that repealing federal clean energy tax credits and funding programs would lead to significant job losses, increased household energy costs, reduced GDP, and higher air pollution levels in the United States between 2025 and 2035.
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Document type: Report