A new study published in One Earth by researchers at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University and the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland reveals that comprehensive climate action across all levels of society can deliver substantial health and air quality benefits across the United States. The study finds that a comprehensive approach that combines federal and subnational climate policies could prevent 6,600 premature deaths in 2030 by reducing exposure to harmful air pollution.
The findings highlight the far-reaching co-benefits of climate mitigation, demonstrating that policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions also significantly improve public health. The study estimates that these health benefits will be widespread, with improvements seen in every state and nearly every county across the United States.
“Our study developed a multi-actor, multi-state modeling framework that combines the modeling of energy, emissions, air pollution, and health impacts to assess individual and combined climate actions and their interactions with other non-climate drivers,” said Wei Peng, report lead author and Assistant Professor at the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. “Our findings demonstrate that health co-benefits from climate actions can be large and widespread, but the magnitude of the co-benefits is affected by a range of factors including the choice and implementation of climate policies, as well as the future trends in socio-demographic factors and air pollution control efforts.”
The burning of fossil fuels—such as coal and gasoline—releases greenhouse gases and air pollutants that contribute to climate change and harm human health. Therefore, a clean energy transition is a critical step towards a healthier United States. By transitioning to cleaner energy sources, policymakers can simultaneously combat climate change, improve air quality, and protect public health. However, achieving the greatest health benefits requires coordinated efforts across federal, state, and local governments, as well as businesses and communities.
“Our findings suggest that a comprehensive climate policy approach involving all societal actors—federal agencies, states, cities, businesses, and communities—can significantly reduce premature deaths caused by air pollution across the United States,” said Alicia Zhao, CGS Research Manager and study co-author. “This all-of-society climate strategy can improve health outcomes by up to 21% in every state and 29% in most counties by 2030.”
The study underscores the importance of an integrated, all-of-society approach to maximize health benefits and improve air quality. Currently, policymakers must navigate complex governance structures, as energy and air quality policies are often implemented at different levels. Coordinated efforts across the federal government as well as state and local agencies will be critical in aligning energy transition policies with air quality improvement efforts. Furthermore, since air quality and health are primarily local concerns, enhancing the capacity of states and local actors will be crucial to facilitate coordinated decisions for energy, climate, and health.
Additionally, broader socioeconomic factors—such as demographic trends, economic conditions, and non-climate air pollution control measures—will influence the future landscape of air quality and health as they alter the size and vulnerability of exposed populations. The study calls for systematic assessments to better capture these interactions and ensure equitable distribution of health benefits.
This research highlights the urgent need for ambitious climate policies that deliver not only emissions reductions but also significant public health improvements. The findings reinforce the importance of collective action from all levels of government, industry, and communities in achieving a cleaner, healthier future for the United States.
Read the study here.
