Every $1 invested in the measures could generate about $15 in economic benefits according to a new United Nations report Released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

The report identified 25 measures across energy, industry, transport, agriculture, household cooking and waste management. It estimated that their combined annual benefits could equal 2.8% of global GDP by 2035, 4.5% by 2050 and 11.4% by 2100. The gains would come through lower health costs, greater productivity, avoided climate damage and healthier lives.

"For too long, we have treated climate action as a cost to be managed and air pollution as the unfortunate outcome of development," said Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP. "This report shows the opposite: Clean air is a key driver of development, health, food and energy security, and climate stability."

The report warned that the cost of waiting is also rising. Each year of delayed action could forgo more than $1.5 trillion in annual benefits, equivalent to about 0.5% of global GDP. Elliott Harris, an independent co-chair of the assessment, said a 15-to-1 return "would attract capital instantly in almost any other sector."

He said the benefits have been overlooked because they are spread across healthcare systems, worker productivity and avoided climate damage rather than appearing on a single balance sheet.

"Finance ministries and investors who keep climate and air quality in separate budget lines are leaving trillions on the table," Harris said.

The economic case comes alongside a major public-health burden. The assessment estimates that outdoor air pollution was linked to 6.4 million premature deaths worldwide in 2025, while household air pollution contributed another 2 million deaths, including about 300,000 children.

The measures could also significantly reduce emissions. By 2050, their full implementation could halve global carbon dioxide emissions, cut methane emissions by 60% and reduce major air pollutants by about 70%. The report estimated that they could prevent 144 million air-pollution-related premature deaths by 2050.

But the UN assessment said that fragmented policymaking, weak enforcement and poor coordination remain major obstacles. It calls for climate, air-quality, health and economic policies to be planned together, alongside stronger regulation and better alignment of public and private finance.