New report underscores the need for rigorous data to inform the design and evaluation of win-win policies to optimize climate and health benefits.
March 31, 2025 (Cartagena, Colombia)—Air pollution contributes to approximately 8 million deaths each year, making it one of the world’s leading risk factors for ill health and premature death. Today, Vital Strategies and Wellcome Trust released a joint report, “Prioritizing Evidence Gaps: Air Pollution and Health Impacts of Climate Action,” calling for urgent action to close the data gaps that are hindering the development of effective climate and clean air policies. The report, launched on the sidelines of the WHO Second Global Conference on Air Quality and Health in Cartagena, Colombia, emphasizes the need for enhanced research to guide the development of targeted, evidence-based interventions that ensure the health benefits of climate and clean air action.
“Science-driven policies are key to addressing climate change, reducing air pollution, and unlocking significant public health benefits,” said Dr Rachel Huxley, Head of Climate Mitigation & Health at Wellcome. “By investing in robust research and data, we can effectively identify and implement the most impactful strategies improving both our health and the environment.”
Given the urgency of rising emissions and average global temperatures, the report identifies key evidence gaps that should be addressed over the next five years to inform action by 2030. It proposes a framework that identifies research gaps along the pathway linking sources of health- and climate-damaging pollution to health impacts. This framework is designed to help policymakers assess the impact of climate and air quality actions, using both local and global evidence, to inform tailored clean air and climate policies.
“We have extensive evidence that air pollution is harming our health—what we need most are data to make the case for clean air and climate action, and to demonstrate the health benefits of actions taken,” said Sumi Mehta, Vice President, Environmental, Climate & Urban Health, Vital Strategies. “This report identifies critical data gaps and highlights the urgent need for targeted, evidence-based interventions, particularly in regions where people are disproportionately affected by air pollution. We are grateful for the Wellcome Trust’s support in developing this report which calls for immediate government action to protect our health and the planet before it is too late.”
The report is based on consultation and inputs from over 50 experts in 13 countries across four continents, and a systematic review of the current evidence base. Research recommendations include a range of epidemiologic and mechanistic studies focused on characterizing the impact of actions taken to address climate-forcing emissions, and overall air quality, on exposures and health effects. Mediating factors along the chain, ranging from pollutant transport and transformation to key factors influencing susceptibility, such as nutrition or socioeconomic status, need to be taken into account. In addition, support to strengthen the research infrastructure, with a focus on the availability of routinely collected air quality and health data, will pave the way for a more robust research infrastructure moving forward.
Read the full report here: https://www.vitalstrategies.org/resources/prioritizing-evidence-gaps-air-pollution-and-health-impacts-of-climate-action/
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies believes every person should be protected by an equitable and effective public health system. We partner with governments, communities and organizations around the world to reimagine public health so that health is supported in all the places we live, work and play. The result is millions of people living longer, healthier lives.
To find out more, please visit vitalstrategies.org or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Wellcome
Wellcome is a global charitable foundation, based in the UK. Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health, and wellbeing.