The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis: Avoid, Shift and Improve Should Be the Principle

We must take the climate crisis more seriously and recognize that it is also a health crisis. The floods in Valencia highlight the urgent need to rethink urban planning.

After the tragic floods in Valencia, which left more than 200 people dead and billions of euros in damages, it is now clear that we need to take climate change more seriously and have good early warning and emergency response systems in place. As is often the case with disasters, the events of 29 October were a confluence of circumstances: climate change (e.g. increased energy in the climate system), poor urban planning (e.g. building in inappropriate locations and excessive impervious surfaces), inadequate policies (e.g. political denialism and opportunism), and a lack of effective warning and response mechanisms, to name but a few. We also need to recognize that the climate crisis is a health crisis, which is why the World Health Organization is urgently calling for health to be integrated into the climate negotiations at the current COP in Baku (COP29).

The last few years have been the hottest on record, with high temperatures claiming over 60,000 lives in Europe alone in 2022. Current climate indicate that we are on track for 3 degrees of warming -far exceeding safe limits- where even more devastating impacts expected as a result. 

Better urban planning could be a solution to reducing the impacts of climate change and improving health

With most of the worlds’ population today living in cities, a recent review of large-scale, multi-city studies found a clear link between urban and transportation planning and environmental quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and health. Better urban planning could therefore play a key role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and improving health. The co-benefits of climate action are well recognized and documented, but the urgency to implement these changes is still lacking.

Avoid, shift, and improve for a better future

Climate change mitigation strategies in land use, transport, buildings and waste management have been shown to have significant health co-benefits, such as reduced premature mortality and morbidity. Decarbonization, more sustainable transport and housing, and urban greening are urgently needed, as are more sustainable and healthier diets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 

Principles such as Avoid, Shift and Improve (ASI) should be implemented. For mobility, it means reducing car use and flights by avoiding unnecessary trips, shifting from car use to public and active transportation, and improving remaining car use by using electric vehicles. 

A more health-oriented narrative may help address the climate crisis, but we also need a more integrated and holistic vision of what our societies and cities should look and function to capture the imagination of politicians, decision-makers and citizens and change their behavior. For example, shifting away from our car-centric planning and prioritising green spaces is essential. Urban lifestyles, especially in high-income countries, are harmful to the planet and to our health.  Concepts such as degrowth need to be promoted.

By 2050, societies and cities that have embraced climate action will be cleaner, greener, more resilient and more liveable.

By 2050, societies and cities that have embraced climate action will be cleaner, greener, more resilient and more liveable, with urban environments that prioritize sustainability and the health and well-being of their inhabitants. In contrast, those that fail to act decisively by 2050 will likely face environmental degradation, social inequality, economic decline, and a diminished quality of life for their residents. The contrast between societies and cities that act and those that do not will become increasingly stark, with inaction leading to potentially irreversible consequences. 2050 is upon us. The urgency of climate action is undeniable; we must stop looking for excuses not to act, act now. Valencia is another warning. 

Further reading and watching

Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. Climate crisis, cities, and health. Lancet. 2024 Oct 26;404(10463):1693-1700. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01934-2. Epub 2024 Oct 17. PMID: 39427663.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TeUSV-Q-w4