WHO pushes for climate-resilient cities
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a fundamental shift in how cities prepare for public health emergencies, warning that climate change is creating unpredictable new risks. Following a high-level meeting in early September, experts stressed that the vulnerability of dense urban areas requires a more integrated and resilient approach.
At the heart of the discussion was the WHO’s Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) initiative. Key pillars of the framework include:
- Building collaborative surveillance to detect threats early.
- Ensuring scalable clinical care to handle sudden patient surges.
The organization shared case studies from cities like Rio de Janeiro and Dhaka, illustrating practical applications of responding to climate-sensitive threats.
"Emerging threats are inherently unpredictable and often transboundary, with the potential to overwhelm fragile urban systems," stated Dr Pushpa Ranjan Wijesinghe of WHO's South-East Asia office, urging city leaders "to think the unthinkable" and plan accordingly.
The message was clear: embedding this proactive approach into urban governance is critical to safeguarding the health of billions against future crises.
Cover photo: Cities need to build robust resilience against climate-driven health emergencies, says WHO
