UK

UK action on climate pledges

could add at least two million
years to people’s lives
There are significant health benefits to enacting green policies, says new study

Soraya Ebrahimi
Jan 25, 2023

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Enacting net-zero policies would substantially reduce the death rate
in England and Wales by 2050, according to a study published in The
Lancet Planetary Health journal.

If all the policies were actioned, at least two million additional years
would be lived across the country’s population by 2050.

As well as driving down mortality, evidence from other research

suggests that net-zero policies may also result in people living with
fewer health conditions.

The UK has committed to reaching net

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zero by 2050 as part of the Paris
Cop28 to deliver 'big results' and
Agreement.
get world back on track to
achieving climate goals As part of this, the UK Climate
Change Committee has laid out
carbon-reduction policies across six
sectors to indicate how it will achieve this target.

Many of the proposed policies reduce harmful environmental

exposures, such as air pollution, and encourage healthy behaviour,
such as diet and exercise, but this latest study is the first to
comprehensively research how these policies could affect the
population's general health.

The global climate crises over the years — in

pictures
 The Kuwait Towers are shrouded amid a sandstorm. The world has seen more extreme
weather in the past decade, with the Gulf witnessing cyclones, flooding and extreme heat.
EPA

“Our modelling confirms that there are significant health benefits to

implementing net-zero policies,” said James Milner, of the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Not only are these policies essential for mitigating climate change,
they also make us healthier.

“If we move faster in adopting more environmentally friendly diets

and active ways of travelling, the health benefits will be even
greater.”

The study looked at six net-zero policies across the electricity supply,
transport, housing and food sectors.

Researchers used modelling to estimate how these policies would

affect health, taking into account how much they reduce air
pollution, make diets healthier and increase exercise.

The study considered two different scenarios, including a “balanced

pathway”, in which emissions were reduced by 60 per cent by 2035
and a “widespread engagement pathway” in which consumer
behaviour around diet and travel choices changed more rapidly.

It measured the policies’ impact on health by looking at the number

of additional years people would live across the whole population.
:
 of additional years people would live across the whole population.

Climate change around the world — in

pictures

Engineers carry solar panels on to the roof of a property in Barcelona in September 2022.
Spain and other Mediterranean countries have generated record amounts of power from
wind and solar farms. Bloomberg

The results suggested that, under the balanced pathway, retrofitting

homes with insulation resulted in 836,000 years gained by 2050,
driving the largest benefit to health.

This was followed by switching to renewable energy to power homes

and reducing red meat consumption — which resulted in 657,000
and 412,000 years gained, respectively.

Subsequently, replacing car journeys with walking or cycling resulted

in 125,000 years gained, while switching to renewable energy for
electricity generation resulted in 46,000 years gained. Finally,
switching to renewable energy for transport led to 30,000 years
gained.
:
 gained.

In total, the balanced pathway led to two million additional years

lived across the population of England and Wales by 2050.

The health benefits were greater under the widespread engagement

pathway, amounting to nearly two and a half million years gained by
2050.

However, the death rate may be reduced more among some sections
of the population than others, say researchers.

For example, men are more likely to use active modes of transport
and younger people and women are more likely to reduce red meat
intake in favour of a more plant-based diet.

Researchers did note some limitations of their study.

The accuracy of the estimates could be questionable as modelling is

inevitably based on various assumptions. However, the authors
believe their study is likely to underestimate the health benefits of
net-zero policies, as they were unable to model all the potential
health benefits.

In addition, they were unable to capture the benefits of other

countries enacting their net-zero policies, which are likely to reduce
the air pollution travelling to England and Wales from continental
Europe.

Updated: January 25, 2023, 3:56 AM

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