Active Clean Energy Climate, Earth & Environment

A Health-centred Systems Approach towards Net-Zero: Transforming regional climate mitigation policies (Heal-NZ)

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Associated organisations Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants · University of Birmingham Europe PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding £2.0M
Period Oct 2023 — Sept 2026

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Policymakers in the West Midlands will use a new toolkit to redesign regional climate policies around health outcomes rather than carbon targets alone. Current net-zero policies often treat health benefits—like cleaner air or more walking—as side effects rather than central goals. This misses opportunities to improve lives while cutting emissions. The Heal-NZ project addresses this gap by building a systems toolkit called Climate-LAT, which combines environmental exposure models, health economics, and participatory mapping. The team will apply it to three live policies in the West Midlands: decarbonising transport, creating net-zero neighbourhoods, and energy innovation. If successful, the toolkit will let regional authorities see, in concrete terms, how a transport policy affects asthma rates or how a housing retrofit changes physical activity levels. This could shift how local governments evaluate policy options—from asking “does this meet a carbon budget?” to “does this improve health?”. The approach is designed to be replicable across other UK regions and beyond. Two full-time researchers embedded in policy organisations will ensure the science translates directly into decisions, rather than sitting on a shelf.

View original technical description
Net-Zero policies have multiple and complex impacts across socio-environmental systems, with implications on health. A new policy approach which links Net- Zero considerations with socio-environmental impacts (e.g., air quality, physical activity), and expresses both in terms of optimal health outcomes – rather than legal compliance – can deliver the best outcomes. The overall aim of Heal-NZ is to transform regional Net-Zero policy solutions by adopting a health-centred systems approach. Heal-NZ is co-designed with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), local authorities, Defra, and community stakeholders to address three “live” policies in the WM - Decarbonising regional transport - Net Zero Neighbourhoods - Energy innovation Heal-NZ will first develop a new toolkit (Climate-LAT) integrating environmental exposure modelling, health / economic modelling and participatory systems mapping tools. We will apply this tool to the West Midlands as an exemplar to demonstrate the wider benefits of health-centred systems approach to Net-Zero policies. The Heal-NZ team, supported by two full-time researchers embedded in policy organisations, will integrate science evidence from observations, modelling, and public involvement into systems maps, and translate this evidence into policy domains. With the new toolkit and science evidence, the Heal-NZ team, particularly policymakers, will directly contribute to regional Net-Zero policy decisions, delivering transformative impacts.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Jenny Stocker (EPMC Awardee)Sue Jowett (EPMC Awardee)Suzanne Bartington (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

The air quality health and economic costs and benefits of a zero carbon UK
ICF: Healthy Low-Carbon Transport Hub (HLTH)
Policy and Implementation for Climate & Health Equity (PAICE)
Net Zero Caerphilly Whole System Decision Support Toolkit (NetZeroCaer)
Optimising air quality and health benefits associated with a low-emission transport and mobility revolution in the UK

Original classification

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