Key Points:
- $300M pledged by philanthropic groups for climate-related health research at COP30.
- Rising risks: Heat, air pollution, and diseases cause hundreds of thousands of deaths annually.
- Action needed: Coordinated global efforts and sustained investment are essential to protect vulnerable populations.
Philanthropic groups committed $300 million in climate health funding this week to support research on climate-related health as heat-linked deaths rise worldwide. The announcement came during COP30 in Brazil, where officials and health advocates warned that extreme temperatures, air pollution, and shifting disease patterns are straining public-health systems.
The funding aims to develop data, tools, and investment strategies to address risks associated with extreme heat, worsening air quality, and the spread of infectious disease. More than 550,000 people die annually from heat-related causes, according to an October report in The Lancet. Another 150,000 deaths each year are tied to air pollution. The funding groups said the numbers highlight the urgency of coordinated action.
Estelle Willie, director of health policy and communications at The Rockefeller Foundation, said climate health funding can help identify and test new solutions. “We can’t just keep plugging holes and resuscitating a dying model of development,” Willie said. “Through our philanthropy capital, we can start testing and validating new solutions through this work and coming together.”
Brazil expands climate-health efforts
Brazil, the host of COP30, introduced the Belem Health Action Plan, an initiative designed to help countries monitor climate-related health risks across government agencies. Officials said the plan, supported by climate health funding, preparedness for floods, fires, drought, storms, and hurricanes.
The proposal comes as global agencies continue to warn that extreme weather events are intensifying. In August, U.N. officials estimated that more than 3.3 billion people already face significant heat stress. Experts say the impacts fall unevenly, with children, pregnant women, older adults, outdoor workers, and resource-poor communities bearing the greatest risks.
John-Arne Røttingen, chief executive of the Wellcome Trust, said climate-driven health effects are no longer projections. “The warnings from scientists on climate change have become reality,” Røttingen said. “And it is clear that not all people are affected equally.”
More investment is still needed
The new $300 million Climate Health funding adds to an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion in annual public funding for climate-health research, based on a 2023 study published in PLOS. Researchers and policymakers say the combined spending remains far below what is needed to address global health challenges amplified by climate change.
Willie said recent gains in global health are at risk. “Progress on health is declining,” she said. “Climate change is literally making every single problem in global health worse right now.”
Data from The Lancet report show rising rates of infectious diseases, including dengue fever, which has increased 49% since the 1950s. The report linked the growth to warming temperatures, shifting mosquito habitats, and more frequent extreme weather events.
The Climate and Health Funders Coalition includes The Rockefeller Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the IKEA Foundation. Another twenty-seven philanthropic organizations have joined the coalition but have not yet committed funds. Organizers said they expect additional contributions as countries negotiate adaptation and mitigation priorities during COP30.
Officials and researchers at the summit said the new funding could help accelerate work on heat-health early-warning systems, air-quality monitoring, disease-surveillance tools, and resilience planning for vulnerable populations. They emphasized that the scale of climate-driven health risks demands faster and more coordinated international action.
As negotiations continue, health experts said that integrating climate and public-health planning will remain a central theme. They noted that while the financial commitment marks progress, governments and organizations will need sustained The new $300 million Climate health funding adds to an effort to protect communities from worsening climate impacts.
