The role of government healthcare financing in carbon emissions and climate change

Government financing among OPEC+ countries predominantly stems from oil investments. However, given the global prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases, aging, population growth, and pandemic mutations, these countries require more oil investments to finance healthcare, with potential adverse consequence on carbon emissions and climate change. This study aims to investigate the relationship between government healthcare financing and carbon emissions and climate change and propose solutions for greener healthcare financing. Quantitative data from 2000 to 2020 were extracted from the WHO and Global Economy databases. The relationship of four variables indicating government healthcare financing to government budget, to total healthcare financing, to GDP, and per-capita with oil investment were investigated using a multiple regression analysis. The analysis included the world’s ten oil-producing countries with the highest oil revenue to GDP. The results showed significant relationships between government healthcare financing to total healthcare financing, to GDP, and per-capita with oil investment among most of the included countries, thereby demonstrating the substantial contribution of OPEC+ to carbon emissions and climate change. The predominant dependence of OPEC+ on oil for financing, with no tangible future transition insight, should make them persistent contributors to carbon emissions and climate change given the considerable publicly financed part of their healthcare systems and the world’s changeable healthcare needs. Thus, oil-dependent countries should strive to free their healthcare financing from oil investment with the environmental harm that this coupling incurs and adopt transformative strategies that expedite the transition to net-zero carbon emissions.