Health and climate change urban profiles

Well over half the world’s population lives in cities, and many people rely on them for their health and well-being. Cities are centres of economic activity, consume large amounts of resources, and are faced with both opportunities and challenges. A growing number of cities are rising to the challenge of climate change and transforming urban areas into places where both people and the planet can thrive.

As part of the WHO monitoring programme on health and climate change, WHO launched the Health and Climate Change Urban Profiles involving six pilot cities.

The urban profiles, developed by WHO in collaboration with local governments, key stakeholders and international partners present a snapshot of climate change hazards and related health risks.

They provide a visual and accessible resource for local leaders to:

• raise awareness about the health threats from climate hazards facing their city;
• summarize local adaptation and mitigation policies, plans and interventions;
• identify the health, social and environmental benefits from tackling climate change;
• strengthen the case for action.

Acknowledgements

The WHO Health and Climate Change Urban Profile project was a collaboration between WHO, municipal governments, CDP and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Special thanks to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (WHO Collaborating Centre on Climate Change, Health and Sustainable Development­), Drexel University and the Wellcome Trust for their generous contributions to the Steering Committee. WHO is grateful for the financial support received from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed in the urban profiles do not necessarily reflect the views of the financial donor.