Episode description

“So when we think about cities of the future, we need to think about systems change because you can't just change one thing in isolation. You need to rethink how we can create cities that are both resilient to environmental change, they can withstand environmental shocks better. So, for example, reducing the urban heat island. We know that cities are hotter than the surrounding rural areas and within cities, there is often wide temperature variation depending on whether you're near a park or whether you are in a very built-up area without any natural shading or green space. And that can cause a massive variation, really substantial variation in the temperature. And we know also that some of that's related to inequities. One of the approaches, of course, is by creating more active opportunities for active travel, walking and cycling, safer walking, and cycling, but also better public transport systems. So reducing our dependence on a private car and then emphasizing more when we do need to use a car. Shared ownership, for example, is one option. So a number of things can be done. But of course, in order to change people's travel patterns, you need to make active travel, and public transport, both affordable, safe, and pleasant. And, and that's, I think a challenge for urban planners that we need to focus much more on that. And also, this has led to the rise of the concept of the 15-minute city, in which basically all basic services are within 15 minutes walking or cycling.”

So when we started, we were mainly talking about the effects of extreme heat without being able to attribute them to climate change because obviously heat waves have occurred throughout history, and populations are more or less adapted to different climates. But now I think the science has moved on, and we can be much more competent about attributing either some extreme events or trends in extreme heat exposure, for example, to human-induced climate change. So it isn't just natural fluctuation. So that's a change. And as the evidence becomes stronger, of course, it also strengthens the case for climate action, which sadly, as we know at the moment, is not sufficient to really have the desired effect.

Andy Haines was formerly a family doctor and Professor of Primary Health Care at UCL. He developed an interest in climate change and health in the 1990’s and was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the 2nd and 3rd assessment exercises and review editor for the health chapter in the 5th assessment. He was Director (formerly Dean) of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine from 2001- October 2010. He chaired the Scientific Advisory Panel for the 2013 WHO World Health Report, the Rockefeller /Lancet Commission on Planetary Health (2014-15) and the European Academies Science Advisory Council working group on climate change and health (2018-19). He currently co-chairs the InterAcademy Partnership (140 science academies worldwide) working group on climate change and health and is also co-chairing the Lancet Pathfinder Commission on health in the zero-carbon economy.  He has published many papers on topics such as the effects of environmental change on health and the health co-benefits of low carbon policies. His current research focuses on climate change mitigation, sustainable healthy food systems and complex urban systems for sustainability. He was awarded the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2022.

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