Efforts to meet climate goals set under the Paris climate change agreement and better health services could save more than 10 million lives every year in nine countries, according to a study published in a special issue of the Lancet Planetary Health.   

A better diet alone could save 6.4 million lives, clean air could save 1.6 million and regular physical activities, another 2.1 million, in Brazil, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK and the U.S by 2040.

These countries hold half of the world's population and are responsible for 70 percent of the global emissions. The toxic emissions from industries, transport, agriculture and heating systems running on fossil fuels pollute the air and contribute to global warming.

"Our report focuses on a crucial but often overlooked incentive for tackling climate change," said Ian Hamilton, lead author and executive director of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change.

"Not only does delivering on Paris prevent millions dying prematurely each year, but the quality of life for millions more will also be improved through better health. We have an opportunity now to place health in the forefront of climate change policies to save even more lives."

Under the Paris climate agreement, a large number of countries pledged to curb emission levels to limit global temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius. But at the current rate of emission declared by governments under nationally determined commitment (NDC), the world is on course to witness a temperature rise of more than 3 degrees Celsius.

The study's findings come at a crucial moment when policymakers from more than 170 countries will meet in Glasgow for the annual Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, in November. Governments will submit their revised NDCs to meet the Paris climate change agreement.

This year's climate talks would also be crucial in the wake of the U.S. announcement to re-join the climate agreement and China's pledge to become carbon neutral by 2060. 

"As countries are being asked to increase their level of ambition ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, the coming months represent a key moment in the fight against climate change and an opportunity to improve global health," said Dr. Alastair Brown, editor-in-chief of The Lancet Planetary Health.

"If there is a need for a deadline to motivate action, we have it and it's November 2021."

(Cover: Men collect their belongings from their makeshift shop which was damaged in floods after heavy rainfall in Peshawar, Pakistan, April 3, 2016. /Reuters)