Recap: Rethinking Climate, Health, and Impact Metrics at UNGA 80 and Climate Week NYC

United Nations Headquarters, New York City

By: Khahlil A, Louisy

This piece was originally published by the Data-Smart City Solutions Program at Harvard University. Read the full thing here.

As global leaders gathered in New York for the 80th UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC, a powerful consensus emerged: tackling climate change and public health must go hand in hand, demanding new metrics, investments, and solutions.

New York City became the epicenter of global climate action last month as the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week NYC converged to create what many described as a critical moment for assessing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Under the theme "Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights," UNGA 80 brought world leaders together September 23-29, while Climate Week NYC ran from September 21-28 with the theme "Power On," highlighting the urgency of accelerating climate solutions.

Amid discussions of clean energy transitions and climate finance, a powerful narrative emerged around the intersection of climate change and public health that demands fundamentally rethinking how we measure success and allocate resources. Global leaders, both in industry and among policymakers, are recognizing that there is a tight link between health and climate, and there is an urgent need for innovative solutions to tackle them together. Below are three key themes that will be critical to consider as we move forward.

Infrastructure is Part of a Healthy Environment

What: Leaders are now viewing buildings and infrastructure as not only energy consumers requiring efficiencies, but as critical health infrastructure that can either exacerbate or protect against climate health threats.

Who: An all-women panel of senior leaders in sustainability including Heather Daniels, VP of Environment, Safety, Health and Sustainability at Lockheed Martin; Julia Gisewite, Chief Sustainability Officer at Turner Construction; Suzanne Felder, VP Global Impact and Sustainability at Prologis; and Holly Paeper, President, Trane Commercial HVAC Americas.

How: The business case for such "healthy buildings" requires metrics that capture both energy savings and health outcomes, from reduced respiratory illness due to better air quality to improved resilience during extreme heat events. The Health Buildings initiative at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health provides extensive research, tools, and guidance on improving human health both in, and through, the built environment. There are also real-world examples, such as the NYC Clean Heat program that eliminated crude heating oils in buildings, and programs in Boston that engage medical professionals and home inspectors to reduce childhood asthma .

New ROI Metrics Must Include Health

What: New impact metrics are emerging, as traditional return-on-investment frameworks struggle to capture the full value of climate-health interventions.

Who: This theme came up at Global Citizen Impact Sessions, with former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, as well as sessions with Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, President of Suriname, and Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank.

How: Many discussions focused on developing new metrics that account for, first....

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