Healthcare in a Changing Climate 2025

The analysis shows that introducing novel prevention methods, diagnostics and treatments could prevent approximately 53% of the projected health and economic burdens. These advancements could save up to 103 million DALYs, prevent $37 billion in economic losses, including $1 billion in healthcare costs and avert 54,000 deaths. Hypertension prevention impact TABLE 6 Prevention type Typical measures% impact preventedDALYs preventedEconomic losses preventedDeaths averted Enhanced preventionIdentify genetic and biological risk markers5% 9 million $3 billion 5,000 Improved diagnosticsIncrease accuracy and speed of in-office diagnosis Improve at-home monitoring26% 51 million $19 billion 27,000 Novel treatments Develop long-acting treatments and those targeting “resistant hypertension”22% 43 million $15 billion 22,000 Total 53% 103 million $37 billion 54,000 Source: World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman analysis. Heat-related disease (HRD) Heatwaves caused by climate change are projected to cause nearly 1.6 million deaths globally by 2050,56 with approximately 70% of these fatalities concentrated in high-risk regions, particularly South-East Asia. The global economic losses associated with heat-related diseases are expected to reach $7.1 trillion, predominantly driven by productivity losses. South-East Asia alone is forecasted to account for $1.8 trillion of these costs, reflecting the region’s disproportionate exposure to extreme heat and its significant public health challenges. In addition to the financial burden, heat-related diseases are anticipated to contribute to a loss of 6.5 million DALYs globally, with 3 million DALYs expected in South-East Asia. Addressing the priority unmet medical needs for HRD offers significant potential to reduce the health and economic impacts exacerbated by climate change. The analysis shows that introducing novel prevention methods, diagnostics and treatments could prevent approximately 50% of the projected health and economic impacts linked to accelerating HRD. These preventive measures could save up to 3.2 million DALYs, avoid $3.5 trillion in economic losses (including $16 billion in healthcare costs) and avert 800,000 deaths. The impacts of various forms of HRD prevention can be seen in the following table:Heat-related disease driven by climate change is expected to cause around $7.1 trillion in costs and 6.5 million DALYs – but 50% of these impacts can be prevented, including 800,000 deaths. HRD prevention impact TABLE 7 Prevention type Typical measures% impact preventedDALYs preventedEconomic losses preventedDeaths averted Enhanced preventionDevelop preventive pharmacological solutions30% 2 million $2.1 trillion 490,000 Improved diagnosticsDevelop rapid, point-of- care diagnostics Ensure their widespread availability15% 0.9 million $1 trillion 230,000 Novel treatments Develop novel targeted treatments5% 0.3 million $339 billion 80,000 Total 50% 3.2 million $3.5 trillion 800,000 Source: World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman analysis. Healthcare in a Changing Climate: Investing in Resilient Solutions 19