Local Voices, Global Solutions: Building Resilience from the Ground Up

As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, the urgency to build climate resilience has never been greater. Extreme weather events - floods, heatwaves, wildfires and storms - are becoming more frequent and severe, disrupting lives and livelihoods and exposing deep social and health inequalities. Yet amidst these challenges lies a powerful truth: the most effective and lasting solutions emerge when local voices are heard and valued.

At the University of Birmingham, our research within the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA) and through the Healthier Housing Partnership has consistently shown that community knowledge and lived experience are critical in shaping sustainable, fair, and health-focused climate policy. This message was at the heart of the recent Housing, Health and Extreme Events (HHEE) international conference, hosted by BISCA in April 2025. The event brought together practitioners, academics, policymakers and - most importantly - community representatives from across the world. Their stories and evidence revealed both the global scale of the challenge and the local power of resilience.

Too often, responses to extreme events remain fragmented and siloed. Academic research, government planning and emergency services all work hard - but not always as one. Local communities, meanwhile, are often left out of the conversation altogether. This disconnection can mean that lessons from past crises go unheeded and policies are shaped without those who know best what works on the ground.

At the HHEE conference, we heard from communities who have lived through disasters - those who rebuilt after cyclones, who adapted housing to cope with heat, who developed informal systems of mutual aid when official support failed to reach them. Their insights are invaluable. When integrated with scientific evidence, they can inform healthier housing, smarter planning, and more equitable adaptation strategies.

Another striking lesson from the conference was the need to rebalance the global exchange of ideas. High-income countries have much to learn from the Global South - not only about the impacts of climate change, but also about innovation and endurance. Too often, international policy assumes a one-way flow of expertise from north to south. In reality, many of the most creative and sustainable housing and health solutions originate within communities that have had to adapt to crisis conditions for decades.

Traditional and indigenous building designs, for example, often use natural ventilation, local materials and communal layouts that reduce heat stress and foster resilience. These are not outdated practices but forward-looking models for a world facing more extreme events. Recognising and elevating these approaches is both an ethical and a practical imperative.

Download the Housing, Health & Extreme Events summary report here. 

Healthy housing is more than shelter - it is a determinant of wellbeing. Poorly designed or maintained homes amplify the health risks of climate extremes, from heat-related illness to waterborne disease. Yet, as our research shows, investment in healthy housing is rarely prioritised in policy, even though it saves significant health costs in the long term.

By integrating health as a cross-cutting theme in planning and climate resilience policy, we can create communities that are not only more sustainable but also more equitable. That means breaking down professional silos, ensuring that planners, health practitioners, and local governments work together - and that residents themselves have a seat at the table.

As we look ahead to COP30, the University of Birmingham’s message is clear: climate resilience cannot be imposed from above. It must be co-created - with respect for diverse knowledge systems, with commitment to evidence, and with humility to listen.

Our research community is proud to contribute to this global dialogue, championing policies that are informed by both robust science and the realities of lived experience. Resilience begins when we recognise that the solutions to the world’s most complex challenges are already taking shape in the places most affected. Our task, collectively, is to listen, to learn, and to act - together.