Drawing on workshops in Barcelona and Dublin, this report explores how health-focused communications can help accelerate the implementation of sustainable mobility and broader climate policies.
This report, led by researchers at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, examines how health-focused communications can help accelerate sustainable mobility and wider climate action in cities. Drawing on workshops in Barcelona and Dublin, it brings together insights from policymakers, health professionals, researchers and civil society on the role of communications in building public support, strengthening cross-sector collaboration and the implementation of climate policies. Participants identified health as a powerful framing for communicating climate and mobility action, and health professionals as trusted and influential messengers.
The workshops highlighted potential for more strategic, evidence-informed communications to accelerate climate action. Discussions emphasised the need to integrate communications into policy processes from the outset, strengthen communications capacity, adopt science-based approaches to narrative development and audience engagement, and create stronger links between health, climate and mobility actors.
Key recommendations include:
- Embedding communications into policy design and implementation from the outset;
- Using health framing to connect climate action with people's everyday experiences;
- Building communications skills and capacity among local actors;
- Creating structured spaces for collaboration across health, climate, and mobility sectors; and
- Sharing lessons, evidence and good practices from other cities to support implementation and learning.