The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) jointly released a report titled Hidden Assets: The Economic and Health Case for Climate and Clean Air Action on September 7, the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. The report is the first comprehensive global economic assessment of integrated climate and clean-air action. At the launch event, Professor Shuxiao Wang from the School of Environment, Tsinghua University, and Professor Simon Dietz from the London School of Economics and Political Science provided an in-depth analysis of the report. The report recommends 25 specific interventions for tackling climate change and air pollution together. It finds that every 1 U.S. dollar allocated toward climate and clean-air action can generate approximately 15 dollars in economic returns, with the benefits of coordinated action significantly exceeding those of addressing climate change and air pollution separately. The findings demonstrate that integrated action on air pollution and climate change is not only one of the fastest pathways to maximizing environmental and health benefits, but also one of the most compelling economic opportunities of this century.

The report provides a scientific basis for countries to better integrate climate action and air-quality improvement under the framework of the Paris Agreement, strengthen relevant policies, and advance global climate action. It also highlights the substantial economic and health returns that can be unlocked through coordinated action.

Professor Shuxiao Wang served as co-chair and coordinating lead author of the report. Professor Kebin He, dean of Tsinghua University’s Institute for Carbon Neutrality and Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, served as a member of the report’s High-Level Panel.

Report link：https://wedocs.unep.org/items/7199c3ce-6bb2-4bbb-a579-305b804c4922

Editors: Li Han, John Paul Grima