Climate Change and Urban Health

The Yale Program on Climate Change and Urban Health within the Center on Climate Change and Health is a co-host to the Urban Pulse initiative, dedicated to putting health and equity at the heart of climate action. Urban Pulse is a transdisciplinary collaboration of the Resilient Cities Network and Yale University to identify urban climate and health priorities.

Urban Pulse was launched at COP28 in Dubai (December 2023) with the goal of generating timely and relevant knowledge as well as disseminating of results to inform the public, promote civic and institutional engagement, and support evidence-based programs and policies to build urban climate and health resilience.

One-half of the world’s population lives in cities, increasing to 70% by 2050. In low/middle-income countries where urbanization paces fastest, 85% live in cities now. Those in concentrated poverty and without access to health/social services are disproportionately vulnerable, resulting in profound inequities. Exacerbated in cities, climate has profound direct and indirect effects on health and mental health, such as prolonged heatwaves, severity of extreme weather events, and rapidly spreading infectious diseases such as dengue. Nearly 40 Sustainable Development Goal targets are relevant to urban health, including land planning, transportation, non-communicable diseases, and mental health. Cities must be on the frontline to promote health and climate justice. Articulating the health advantages of climate action increases public support and policymakers’ ambition for policy change.

Initially supported by the Hecht Faculty Network Award at the Yale Institute for Global Health, ongoing work receives support from The Rockefeller Foundation and NASA.

We envision an integrated, multi-sector approach to advance our collective understanding of the impacts of climate on health, empowering us to meet the demands of today’s interconnected world.

• Resilient Cities at the Intersection of Climate and Health
• Dijkstra L, Florczyk AJ, Freire S, Kemper T. Applying the degree of urbanisation to the globe: a new harmonised definition reveals a different picture of global urbanisation. Paper prepared for the 16th Conference of IAOS OECD Headquarters, Paris, France. 19-21 September 2018.
• National Institutes of Health. Climate Change and Health Initiative Strategic Framework.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilty: Summary for Policy Makers. IPCC WGII Sixth Assessment Report. 2022.
• Cianconi P, Hanife B, Hirsch D, Janiri L. Is climate change affecting mental health of urban populations? Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 1 May 2023;36(3):213-218.
• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, United Nations. 2015.
• Vlahov D. A pivotal moment for urban health. Cadernos de Saúde Pública. Nov 2015;31 Suppl 1:7-8. doi: 10.1590/0102-311XPE01S115.
• The Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences. A healthy future – tackling climate change mitigation and human health together, September 2021.

Urban Pulse/RCN Work

• Urban Pulse: Identifying Resilience Solutions at the Intersection of Climate, Health and Equity, The Resilient Cities Network and Yale School of Public Health (Ickovics et al., 2024) released at the United Nations General Assembly during New York City Climate Week
• Urban Climate-Health Action: A New Approach to Protecting Health in the Era of Climate Change, a Rockefeller Foundation report also released at the United Nations General Assembly and featured in Time Magazine.
• COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health. Health is the Argument for Climate Action, presented by the World Health Organization at the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan
• Resilience “Point of View,” narrative report written for city partners and interested others (January 2025)

Toolbox

The Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability at the Yale School of the Environment has launched the Healthy City Practitioner Toolbox, offering proven solutions for enhancing urban quality of life. Amidst emerging threats, prioritizing human health can help cities thrive. This new and expanded toolbox synthesizes cutting-edge research across Yale into accessible and actionable fact sheets, case studies and video explainers. Discover effective strategies for improving mobility, waste management, pollution control, and equitable development right in your city.

Access the toolbox here.