More than 100 city leaders sign Cork Call to Action on Climate and Health

Mayors from 60 cities in 22 countries commit to local action as heat and climate-related deaths rise across Europe

More than 100 mayors, deputy mayors and elected representatives from 60 cities in 22 European countries have signed the Cork Call to Action on Climate and Health. They pledged to take local action on nature, food, active travel, housing and preparedness for extreme weather. Leaders negotiated and agreed the commitments over 2 days during the WHO Summit of Mayors on Climate and Health in Cork, Ireland, hosted by Cork City Council and the WHO European Healthy Cities Network.

Health Innovation Hub Ireland’s GreenTech lead Eimear Galvin was proud to attend the Summit, joining city leaders, WHO experts and practitioners from across Europe. Cities and health systems face the same climate pressures, and the Summit was a strong reminder that the solutions – from lower-carbon care to resilient communities – work best when built together. Through GreenTech in Health, HIHI works with healthcare sites across Ireland to pilot and scale sustainable innovations that cut emissions and waste while improving care. We look forward to supporting the Cork Call to Action as cities turn commitments into practice.

Europe is the fastest-warming region in the world, heating up at around twice the global average. Heat has killed more than 200 000 people across the European Union and its associated countries since 2022, and most of those deaths were preventable.

The Call to Action puts cities on the front line of the climate crisis and also on the front line of the solutions. Signatories committed to 5 thematic priorities:

• nature-positive cities: protecting and restoring biodiversity and green and blue spaces and using nature-based solutions;
• healthier, sustainable food systems: affordable, nutritious food, stronger local food economies and less food waste;
• active cities: investment in walking, cycling and public transport;
• healthy homes: better housing quality, energy efficiency and affordable, healthy living conditions; and
• resilience and preparedness: protecting communities from extreme weather, flooding and heat.

They also pledged to put health, equity and climate justice at the centre of local decision-making, so that every community shares in the benefits of climate action.

Irish Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, opened the summit and set out Ireland’s support for local government action on climate and health. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, former Prime Minister of Iceland and Chair of the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health, gave the keynote address and led the high-level political discussions. With Professor Sir Andy Haines, the Commission’ chief scientific advisor, she set out how cities can put the Commission’s recommendations into practice.