Health systems are built to treat illness. Climate change is asking cities to prevent it.
Under a 2°C warming scenario, annual heat-related deaths are projected to rise 370% by 2050 (Lancet Countdown, 2023). Extreme heat, air pollution and flooding affect physical and mental health, and marginalized communities carry the heaviest burden.
A prevention first approach keeps people well for longer and lowers healthcare costs. Cities are well placed to lead it, and they need evidence and a clear path to act.
Practical tools can help. The Climate x Health Impact Dashboard quantifies the health and climate benefits of different interventions, and the Climate x Health Playbook maps the steps for bringing health into resilience planning.
Join us for our next Cities on the Frontline session, in collaboration with Resilient Cities, Reimagining Health, a partnership between the Resilient Cities Network and the Sustainable Markets Initiative, led by Reckitt and Bupa, with support from the Yale School of Public Health, Mode Economics, Sanofi, and UCB. We will bring together city representatives and programme partners to see both tools in action and discuss how cities can build the business case for prevention, secure investment and bring health into resilience planning.
Let’s build cities that keep people well.
Register now to join the conversation!