# Blind spots and actionable insights for urban governance of the climate–biodiversity–health nexus

## TL;DR

This paper explores how four European cities manage the interconnected issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and health, identifying gaps and suggesting ways to improve urban governance.

## Contribution

The study introduces a goals-oriented framework for assessing urban governance of the climate-biodiversity-health nexus and provides actionable insights for transformative governance.

## Key findings

- Cities often have fragmented mid-level targets and sectoral silos in their governance.
- Transformative solutions like nature-based solutions are used but face limitations in coordination.
- Soft governance tools are over-relied upon, with insufficient attention to indirect emissions.

## Abstract

The critical nexus between biodiversity loss, climate change, and societal change is increasingly intertwined, requiring coordinated action, especially in urban contexts. This study examines how urban governance operationalizes the climate-biodiversity-health nexus in four European case cities through a goals-oriented framework informed by the Planetary Health approach. We conduct a qualitative analysis of urban policy documents to assess the degree of change and level of coordination across climate mitigation, adaptation, biodiversity, and health domains. While cities have employed transformative solutions like nature-based solutions (NBS), we consistently identify policy blind spots such as fragmented mid-level targets, sectoral silos, insufficient attention to indirect emissions, and reliance on soft governance tools. We conclude by offering actionable insights for transformative urban nexus governance: mainstream transformative metrics and indicators, create new institutional innovations, integrate multi-benefit NBS across sectors, expand governance toolkits to address trade-offs, and co-create a culture of innovation, learning, co-creation and leadership.