Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct 31;21(11):1457.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21111457.

Integrated Climate Change Mitigation and Public Health Protection Strategies: The Case of the City of Bologna, Italy

Isabella Nuvolari-Duodo  1 , Michele Dolcini  1 , Maddalena Buffoli  1 , Andrea Rebecchi  1 , Giuliano Dall'Ò  2 , Carol Monticelli  3 , Camilla Vertua  3 , Andrea Brambilla  1 , Stefano Capolongo  1
Affiliations

Integrated Climate Change Mitigation and Public Health Protection Strategies: The Case of the City of Bologna, Italy

Isabella Nuvolari-Duodo et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: The ongoing process of global warming, driven by the escalating concentration of greenhouse gases generated by human activities, especially in urban areas, significantly impacts public health. Local authorities play an important role in health promotion and disease prevention, and some aim to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. There is a consistent action underway to reach this goal, hence the need for mapping and implementing effective strategies and regulations.

Materials and methods: This study includes the analysis of policy guidelines adopted by the city of Bologna, consulted in March and April 2024. Bologna is one of the 100 cities committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2030, 20 years ahead of the EU target. To identify the strategies adopted to mitigate climate change, the following methodology was used: (i) the systematic mapping of sources and spatial planning documents; (ii) the extrapolation of goals, measures, and target indicators; and (iii) the development of an overall matrix.

Results: The main findings of the study and their connection to public health pertain to the identification of key macro-areas contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, while reducing the impact of climate change on health: (1) built environment and renewable energy sources, (2) transport and mobility, (3) energy, (4) green areas and land use, and (5) citizen support. Within these five macro-areas, 14 goals have been identified, to which a total of 36 measures correspond, and, finally, a target indicator is determined, mainly with respect to the reduction of tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

Conclusions: In order to protect public health, it is evident that buildings and urban activities should not produce carbon emissions throughout their lifecycle. This paper presents a method to evaluate municipal policies regarding dual-impact solutions that address both environmental protection through sustainability strategies and public health, in compliance with the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach.

Keywords: climate change resilience; health promotion; healthy cities; public health; wellbeing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Analysis of the climate scenarios in the city of Bologna (elaborated), ARPAE.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Methodological steps.
Figure 3
Figure 3
List of goals associated with the respective sources, divided by type.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Capolongo S., Rebecchi A., Dettori M., Appolloni L., Azara A., Buffoli M., Capasso L., Casuccio A., Oliveri Conti G., D’Amico A., et al. Healthy Design and Urban Planning Strategies, Actions, and Policy to Achieve Salutogenic Cities. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2018;15:2698. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15122698. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gianfredi V., Buffoli M., Rebecchi A., Croci R., Oradini-Alacreu A., Stirparo G., Marino A., Odone A., Capolongo S., Signorelli C. Association between urban greenspace and health: A systematic review of literature. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021;18:5137. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18105137. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Watts N., Adger W.N., Agnolucci P., Blackstock J., Byass P., Cai W., Chaytor S., Colbourn T., Collins M., Cooper A., et al. Health and climate change: Policy responses to protect public health. Lancet. 2015;386:1861–1914. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60854-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lucarelli M.T. Spazio Pubblico—Technè. TECHNE-J. Technol. Archit. Environ. 2020;9:7–8. doi: 10.13128/TECHNE-8299. - DOI
    1. Petrovic N., Madrigano J., Zaval L. Motivating Mitigation: When Health Matters More than Climate Change. Clim. Chang. 2014;126:245–254. doi: 10.1007/s10584-014-1192-2. - DOI

Substances

LinkOut - more resources