The WHO has launched a report on health co-benefits of climate change mitigation in the housing sector, the first of a new series of reports on health in the green economy. The series undertakes a systematic analysis of climate change mitigation and green growth strategies in five economic sectors: housing, transport, health care facilities, household energy in developing countries and agriculture.
The first report, on housing, evaluates potential health impacts of mitigation options for the residential building sector, focusing on strategies reviewed in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The WHO report finds that many forms of asthma and allergies, as well as heart disease and strokes related to increasingly intense heat waves and cold spells, could be addressed by climate-friendlier housing measures. On the other hand, measures such as more weather-tight housing can introduce new health risks, unless adequate fresh air ventilation is assured. The report also notes that more attention should be paid to the housing risks of rapidly growing developing cities, and how more climate-friendly housing and urban design could improve the health of the poor, as well as mitigate climate change.