Climate-Water-Health Economic Research

Current investigators focus on quantifying the direct and indirect health costs of climate-water variability—including floods, droughts, and changing precipitation patterns—which have already demonstrated substantial economic burdens. Recent studies show that water-related disasters from 2001-2018 resulted in approximately $600 billion in global losses from over 2,900 flood events and 290 drought events, affecting 2.8 billion people. In South America alone, drought-related health impacts have been estimated at 7% of regional GDP in affected areas, while the annual health costs of climate-related impacts in the US exceed $1 trillion. Current research emphasizes the cost-effectiveness of point-of-use water treatment interventions, with household chlorination showing cost-effectiveness ratios of $27-65 per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted—placing it among the most cost-effective global health interventions [1-3].

Future studies will examine the economic evaluation of climate adaptation strategies specifically targeting hydroclimate risks, including early warning systems, climate-resilient health infrastructure, and integrated water-health interventions. The WHO framework for quantifying health co-benefits of climate action and emerging research on climate-resilient health systems indicate a shift toward prospective economic evaluation of adaptation measures. Future research will also investigate the cost-effectiveness of "no regrets" policies that provide health benefits regardless of climate prediction accuracy, and the economic returns of investing in health system resilience—with preliminary evidence suggesting benefit-cost ratios of 4.1 for comprehensive health adaptation packages [4-5]