New Pathfinder Initiative policy briefs highlight how cities can put health at the heart of climate action.
How can cities ensure that climate action also delivers better health outcomes? Two new Pathfinder policy briefs explore practical approaches to answering this question. The briefs, led by researchers at the Innovation and Technology for Development Centre at the Technical University of Madrid (itdUPM), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and drawing on collaboration with Spain's citiES 2030 network, highlight how cities can strengthen climate decision-making through stakeholder co-creation and robust monitoring of health co-benefits. Together, they provide policymakers, practitioners and researchers with actionable lessons for designing, delivering and evaluating healthier climate policies.
Leveraging co-creation for city-level climate action and health co-benefits: Policy lessons from citiES 2030
This brief explores how evidence-informed co-creation can help bridge the gap between research and city-level action. Drawing on the Pathfinder Initiative’s collaboration with the citiES 2030 platform, it shows how bringing together cities, researchers, policymakers and other partners can generate practical solutions that are both scientifically robust and relevant to local needs. The brief highlights how co-creation helped develop and prioritise health co-benefit indicators, strengthened collaboration across cities, and led to the inclusion of health commitments in Spanish Mission Cities’ Climate City Contracts. It also sets out recommendations for policymakers, cities and researchers on embedding co-creation into climate governance.
Measuring what matters: A practical framework to integrate health into urban climate action
This companion brief focuses on monitoring and evaluation, offering a practical framework to help cities measure the health co-benefits of climate action. Developed through workshops and engagement with cities including Barcelona, Zaragoza and Viladecans, the framework helps local authorities identify meaningful indicators, monitor progress, evaluate outcomes and communicate benefits. Rather than creating additional reporting burdens, it promotes a focused set of scientifically robust and locally relevant indicators across areas such as air quality, active travel, sustainable diets and nature-based solutions. The brief provides a practical pathway for turning health data into actionable evidence that can support stronger, more accountable climate policies.