Why Tackling Climate Change and Air Pollution Together Is Korea’s Smartest Bet

An OECD study finds that climate change and air pollution in Korea share common causes, and tackling them together delivers far greater health, environmental and economic benefits than addressing them separately. Integrated climate and clean air policies can cut costs by more than half while significantly reducing pollution-related deaths and supporting global climate goals.

Climate change and air pollution are often discussed as separate environmental challenges, but new research from the OECD shows they are deeply connected, and that treating them together delivers far bigger benefits. An OECD Environment Working Paper, produced by the OECD Environment Directorate and based on modelling by the OECD’s ENV-Linkages team, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (using the TM5-FASST air quality model), the MAGICC climate model, and mitigation cost estimates from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), examines how climate and clean air policies interact in Korea and beyond.

Why Korea is a revealing case

Korea offers a powerful test of this idea. It is a highly industrialised economy that has grown rapidly over the past two decades and now faces the twin pressures of climate risk and persistent air pollution. The government has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. At the same time, it has rolled out some of the most stringent air quality measures in the OECD, including emissions trading for sulphur and nitrogen oxides, charges on particulate matter, strict fuel and vehicle standards, and subsidies for cleaner transport and heating. Yet fine dust remains a major public concern, and climate risks continue to rise.

What happens if policies stay as they are

The study’s baseline projections explain why existing efforts fall short. Even with current and legislated policies fully implemented, Korea’s economy continues to grow through 2050, while its population shrinks and ages. Emissions of carbon dioxide and several air pollutants decline, mainly because power generation becomes cleaner and transport electrifies. But demographic change increases vulnerability to pollution faster than emissions fall. As a result, the number of premature deaths linked to air pollution in Korea is projected to be more than 5 000 higher in 2050 than in 2019. Globally, greenhouse gas emissions remain far above safe levels, pushing average temperatures beyond 2°C by mid-century and towards around 3.3°C by 2100. Cleaner technology alone, the report shows, is not enough.

Testing climate-only and clean-air-only solutions

To see what works better, the researchers model three alternative futures. One focuses on climate action alone, taking Korea to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through carbon pricing, electrification, efficiency gains and large-scale carbon capture. Another focuses on air quality, using strict standards, best available technologies and pollution pricing to cut air pollutant emissions by around 80% by mid-century. The third combines both approaches.

Each strategy delivers benefits. Climate policies alone significantly reduce emissions and also improve air quality, especially in power generation and transport. Air quality policies alone also cut greenhouse gas emissions, because making pollution expensive reduces fossil fuel use. But both approaches have limits when pursued on their own. Korea contributes only about 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, so domestic climate action barely affects global temperatures. Air pollution, meanwhile, crosses borders, meaning that domestic clean air policies cannot fully protect public health without action in neighbouring countries.

Why integration delivers bigger gains at lower cost

The strongest results come when climate and air quality policies are implemented together and coordinated internationally. Integrated action delivers health benefits similar to aggressive clean air policies alone, while also improving crop yields by reducing ozone damage. Most strikingly, it slashes costs. Because climate mitigation and air pollution control rely on many of the same investments, phasing out coal, improving energy efficiency, and switching to clean electricity, doing both at once avoids duplication. The study finds that achieving climate and clean air goals together costs more than 50% less than pursuing them separately, whether measured in lost GDP or reduced household consumption.

The paper also highlights an important warning. Cutting sulphur dioxide and other aerosol pollutants reduces their cooling effect, which can slightly increase warming in the short term. This means clean air policies cannot replace climate action; they must be paired with strong greenhouse gas reductions to avoid unintended trade-offs.

A clear lesson for policymakers

Although the study focuses on Korea, its message is global. Climate change is a global problem, and air pollution is often transboundary. Only coordinated international action can unlock the full health, economic and climate benefits of cleaner air and lower emissions. For governments facing tight budgets and rising environmental risks, the lesson is simple: tackling climate change and air pollution together is not just better for people and the planet, it is also the most cost-effective path forward.