Global Climate Report Ranks Nations on Health Integration in Climate Plans

The latest Healthy NDC Scorecard, published by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, reveals how effectively governments are integrating health considerations into their national climate plans. Colombia received top marks, scoring 29 out of a possible 32 points for its deep integration of health into its national climate plan. Nigeria followed closely with 25 points, and Cambodia secured 24 points. Paraguay and Timor-Leste each scored 22 points, completing the top five countries recognized for policies designed to protect citizens from climate change. Notably, 19 of the top 20 scores were achieved by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Conversely, the scorecard highlighted significant shortcomings among other nations. The climate commitments from the governments of Japan, New Zealand, and India failed to adequately consider health, each achieving just two points. High-emitting economies, including EU members, China, Brazil, and the U.K., acknowledged health in their national climate plans but did not couple this with the ambitious emissions reduction targets deemed necessary to safeguard public health. An assessment by Climate Action Tracker further noted that the emissions reduction targets of both Japan and India are not aligned with the Paris Agreement, posing substantial risks to human health.

The research also identified widespread missed opportunities among countries to simultaneously enhance air quality, protect public health, and address climate change. Only five nations—Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Paraguay—have set specific targets to reduce black carbon, a potent driver of global heating and air pollution that contributes to severe health harms. Dr. Nova Tebbe, a postdoctoral researcher at the Global Climate and Health Alliance and the study's lead, emphasized, “The Healthy NDC Scorecard enables us to evaluate how governments are considering health in their climate planning, whether this is matched by their emissions reduction ambition, and to compare intended health and climate action to actual national air pollution mortality.” She added, “The human face of climate change has never been more obvious—governments must act now to integrate health.”

Dr. Tebbe further explained that “rapid action to address short-lived climate pollutants including black carbon, methane, HFCs and tropospheric ozone offers a triple win of slowing the pace of global heating and future health threats, additional near-immediate health gains, and significant cost savings even within a political term.” She stressed the urgency for immediate and rapid implementation, noting that “health impacts of climate change are intensifying, with even further escalation probable due to El Niño conditions,” citing recent events such as floods in Nepal, hunger risks in Eastern and Southern Africa, heat-related mortality in Europe and the United States, and extensive wildfires in Canada. Dr. Jeni Miller, Executive Director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, underscored this, stating, “Governments must grasp that air quality action is a vital part of effective climate action, and that people's health and lives are at stake with both.” The scorecard, which evaluated the plans of 132 countries submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for 2035 in accordance with the Paris Agreement before August 1, 2026, serves as a tool for policymakers to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities, and to compare progress globally. The Global Climate and Health Alliance previously released similar scorecards in 2021 and 2023.

Editor's note: The article accurately reports the findings of the Healthy NDC Scorecard and includes the relevant context and expert commentary provided in the source.