A report released by UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition on 7 September argues for treating climate and air pollution together. Its assessment examines twenty-five measures across six sectors, including transport, energy and agriculture. The estimated benefits amount to around fifteen dollars for each dollar invested. However, this figure is not simply cash returned to an investor. It includes economic gains alongside the value assigned to healthier lives and fewer premature deaths.
Even when non-market welfare benefits are excluded, the report estimates returns of roughly four dollars per dollar invested. This distinction matters because gains are spread across health services, productivity and avoided damage rather than one company's accounts. The authors also identify fragmented decision-making and weak coordination as obstacles to implementation. Policies that look expensive within one department may offer broader benefits elsewhere. The analysis therefore calls for integrated planning, helping governments assess costs and benefits across institutions instead of considering each budget in isolation.