In a significant move to address the escalating health crisis fueled by climate change, approximately 80 countries and organisations united at the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, to launch the Belem Action Plan for Health and Climate Adaptation. The plan aims to fortify global health systems against life-threatening climate conditions.
A Major Financial Commitment for Health
Simultaneously, a powerful coalition of about 35 philanthropies, operating under the Climate and Health Funders Coalition, announced a substantial initial commitment of US $300 million. This funding is dedicated to integrated action that tackles both the root causes of climate change and its devastating consequences on human health. A official statement clarified that the money will be used to support the implementation of the Belem Health Action Plan and to accelerate the deployment of vital health solutions in the most vulnerable regions.
The Stark Reality: Millions of Lives at Stake
During an event organised by the COP30 presidency, the Global Climate and Health Alliance, and Carbon Copy, experts highlighted a critical and growing finance gap, particularly for adaptation plans focused on health. Dr. Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London, presented a grim picture. "Each year, more than half a million lives are lost due to heat, and over 150,000 deaths are linked to wildfire smoke exposure," she stated. She further warned that health systems worldwide, already stretched thin and underfunded, are struggling to cope with these mounting pressures and remain largely unprepared for future challenges.
The scientific foundation for the Belem Action Plan is the 2025 Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change. Published just last month, the report delivered a sobering assessment, revealing that climate change-related deaths now number in the millions. It detailed how millions more people are being affected by intensifying threats like extreme heat, heavy rainfall and flooding, more severe storms, and the gradual advance of desertification.
The Massive Adaptation Finance Gap
The discussions in Belem underscored that the health finance gap is a crucial part of a much larger problem—the overall adaptation finance shortfall. Global inaction is worsening the situation and driving up future costs. The latest Adaptation Gap Report estimates that developing countries will need between US $310 billion and $365 billion every year by 2035 to adapt to climate change. This need starkly contrasts with the international community's struggle to mobilise the US $40 billion in annual flows promised back at the Glasgow climate summit in 2021.
Providing a national perspective, Dr. Vishwas Chitale, a Fellow at the Council for Energy, Environment & Water (CEEW) in India and a UN Research Fellow, cited India's 2023 national communication to the UNFCCC. "According to India's report, the country will require $643 billion between now and 2030 to adapt to climate change under a business-as-usual scenario," Dr. Chitale said. He also highlighted India's significant progress, noting that the country spent $146 billion in 2021-2022 alone, equivalent to 5.6% of its GDP, a remarkable increase from the 3.7% spent in 2015-2016.
