Accelerating Climate Action
Refocusing Policies through a Well-being Lens

This report builds on the OECD Well-being Framework and applies a new perspective that analyses synergies and trade-offs between climate change mitigation and broader goals such as health, education, jobs, as well as wider environmental quality and the resources needed to sustain our livelihoods through time. This report takes an explicitly political economy approach to the low-emissions transitions needed across five economic sectors (electricity, heavy industry, residential, surface transport, and agriculture) that are responsible for more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Synergies between emissions reduction and broader well-being objectives, such as reduced air pollution and improved health, increase the incentives for early mitigation action. At the same time, the impact of climate policies on issues such as the affordability of energy and jobs need to be taken into account to counter growing economic and social inequalities within and between countries. The report argues that reframing climate policies using a well-being lens is necessary for making visible such synergies and trade-offs; allowing decision-makers to increase the former and anticipate, manage and minimise the latter. This requires us to rethink societal goals in terms of well-being, reframe our measures of progress and refocus policy-making accordingly.
Also available in: French
Delivering accessible and sustainable mobility
This chapter is dedicated to the transport sector, with a focus on surface transport. It discusses policy priorities that are central for the sector to contribute to current and future well-being objectives. The chapter proposes a number of indicators that can be used to translate the discussed policy priorities into measurable outcomes, and can support policy makers in attaining a two-way alignment between climate and other policy goals. The chapter also examines the relation between the indicators proposed, and indicators used by the Sustainable Development Goals and the OECD Framework for Measuring Well-being and Progress.
Also available in: French