Accelerating Collaborative Health and Climate Action in Cities
Global health in the age of climate change will increasingly be shaped by cities, which are becoming key battlegrounds for climate and health issues. With half of the world’s population now living in urban areas, a number expected to rise to 70% by 2050, cities contribute 75% of global emissions and face severe climate impacts. Extreme heat, water scarcity, and disease spread affect physical and mental health, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for integrated urban governance, exposing the limitations of siloed approaches to health, sustainability, and infrastructure.
The fifth Cities on the Frontline session of the year, jointly organized by Resilient Cities Network, Yale University and Bayer Consumer Health, “Urban Pulse: Climate, Health and Equity in Action” delved into the critical intersection of climate change, health, and equity.
Through an insightful conversation moderated by Malcolm Campbell – Manager, Programs and Engagement, R-Cities, and Jeannette Ickovics – Samuel and Liselotte Herman Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Psychology at Yale University, the session brought together perspectives from Rodrigo Oria – Head of Public Affairs, Science & Sustainability, Bayer in México; Albert Ferreira – Lead for Strategy Implementation, City of Cape Town; Dr. Vikas Desai – Technical Director, Urban Health and Climate Resilience Center of Excellence (UHCRCE), Surat; and Jack Fisher – in charge of Market Access, Public Affairs, and Sustainability, Bayer Consumer Health. The panel drew lessons from the ongoing Urban Pulse Program to explore how urbanization exacerbates health inequities, particularly in marginalized communities, and how cities can leverage innovative solutions to build health resilience.
To start the conversation, Rodrigo Oria took the floor to discuss Bayer’s efforts to address the critical intersection of climate change and public health. He emphasized that climate change is a major public health threat, impacting systems worldwide and in response Bayer is working to reduce its carbon footprint and ensure food security amidst increasing droughts and floods while also being committed to strengthen health equity, striving to provide access to essential health services globally. During his intervention, Rodrigo highlighted three key areas Bayer is focusing on: cardiovascular health risk, which is being increasingly exacerbated by extreme heat; allergies, which are becoming more common due to longer growing seasons; and chronic kidney disease, increased by rising temperatures. He also mentioned that Bayer is partnering with cities and other stakeholders to mitigate these impacts at a city-level to among other things, promote wellbeing, self-care and health literacy, through webinars, talks and community outreach programs. Their mission is to achieve a world with “health for all, hunger for none,” making technologies and information accessible to improve resilience and public health worldwide.
Following Rodrigo, Albert Ferreira discussed Cape Town’s strategy for integrating health, climate change, and equity. He emphasized that urban poor and vulnerable populations face the highest health risks, exacerbated by social factors and recent crises like Covid-19 and severe droughts. Cape Town’s approach focuses on reducing vulnerability through sustained action, collaboration, and community involvement, as outlined in the Integrated Development Plan’s Urban Health Monitoring Initiative. This initiative, Albert continued, aims to develop a framework for identifying and prioritizing social determinants of health, mapping indicators, and assessing urban health. He also stressed the need for a comprehensive approach due to the cascading effects of climate change on various health domains. Furthermore, the city is also advancing impact-oriented indicators and has introduced a heat action plan as part of its climate strategy. Moving forward, Cape Town plans to integrate health and climate considerations into all relevant policies, enhance data systems, and conduct research to address emerging health and climate risks.
Following Cape Town, Dr. Desai highlighted the emerging focus on urban health in India, particularly in the context of rapid urbanization and climate change. She pointed out that Surat, a city vulnerable to floods and extreme weather due to its coastal and river geography, faces significant public health challenges exacerbated by climate change. With a rapidly growing population, largely composed of poor migrants, Surat has undertaken various initiatives to address these challenges. The main one being the establishment of the Urban Health and Climate Resilience Center of Excellence which is the first of its kind in India. This center, through a public-private partnership, aims to foster healthy citizens through research, training, and advocacy, translating findings into actionable policies. Despite progress, Dr. Desai emphasized the ongoing need for integrated urban planning, community participation, and a multidisciplinary approach to ensure health and climate resilience. Finally, she stressed the importance of local expertise, continuous monitoring, and evidence-based action to adapt to the dynamic interplay between urban health and climate conditions.
Jack Fisher representing Bayer Consumer Health, wrapped up the session by sharing his closing remarks, where he emphasized the critical and escalating impact of climate change on global health, as highlighted by a recent report identifying 195 high-impact intersections. He stressed the necessity of collaborative efforts across sectors to tackle these challenges, urging that climate and health considerations be central to corporate strategies and political agendas. Reflecting on the success of the COP 28 climate health declaration signed by over 120 countries, he expressed concern that health may not feature prominently in upcoming COP 29 discussions. Jack called on cities and mayors to ensure health risks remain a key focus in future dialogues. He highlighted Bayer’s commitment to leveraging its technical expertise, networks, and resources in public-private partnerships to address these issues. He concluded by underscoring the importance of learning from past experiences and listening to local communities to develop effective, context-specific solutions.
The insights shared during the session highlighted the important intersection that exists between climate change, health, and equity as illustrated by Albert Ferreira’s and Dr. Desai’s practical city-specific actions for integrating health into climate resilience strategies. The session emphasized the need for cities, as key battlegrounds for these issues, to continue innovating and engaging with local communities to develop effective, scalable solutions for a more resilient and equitable urban future.
Key insights:
- Urban health strategies must align with urban planning to tackle climate change, health, and equity intersections, considering social and environmental factors.
- Social determinants heavily influence health outcomes, often more than direct healthcare services. Addressing these can strongly improve public health.
- Bottom-up strategies and community involvement are crucial for creating effective, context-specific health and climate resilience solutions.
- Strengthening public health infrastructure is essential for effectively managing climate-related health crises and chronic diseases.
- Utilizing real-time data is vital for monitoring and responding to health impacts from climate change, enabling timely and effective interventions.
- Recent crises like Covid-19 offer lessons for improving urban health resilience. Applying these lessons can strengthen health systems.
- Addressing climate change and health challenges requires collaboration among government, private sector, civil society, and academia.
- Effective public-private partnerships are crucial for leveraging resources, expertise, and networks to address health and climate challenges.
Dr. Vikas Desai
Technical Director Urban Health and Climate Resilience Center of Excellence (UHCRCE), City of Surat
“What is not good for health is not good for climate, and the cutoff of the safety varies from city to city, depending upon the situation. And that’s why the city needs to focus on it.”
Albert Ferreira
Lead for Strategy Implementation, City of Cape Town
“We understand that poverty and inequality drive the vulnerability of a community, and that sustained action is required. These complex and wicked problems require collaboration and coordination. It requires community bottom-up involvement.”
Rodrigo Oria
Head of Public Affairs, Science & Sustainability, Bayer Mexico
“There’s no doubt that climate change is the biggest public health threat of our time. It does not only have environmental effects but also is affecting public health systems all over the world.”
Jack Fisher
Market Access, Public Affairs and Sustainability, Bayer Consumer Health
“To ensure we are successful in the future, we really must learn from past lessons and experiences. This includes listening and learning from local communities on what their needs are and what contextual solutions are best for them.”
Jeannette Ickovics (Co-host)
Samuel and Liselotte Herman Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Psychology, Yale University
Malcolm Campbell (Co-host)
Urban Pulse Program Manager, Programs & Engagement Manager, Resilient Cities Network
