COP30: How more than US$300m committed by over 35 philanthropies will boost research efforts towards climate-sensitive diseases

By Steve UMIDHA

More than 35 leading philanthropies, including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation, have pledged in excess of USD 300 million towards research strategies aimed at combating diseases caused by climate change factors, such as changing weather patterns and water scarcity, which put at least 3.3 billion people globally at risk.

Under the umbrella name The Climate and Health Funders Coalition, the alliance’s inaugural funding, announced on November 13 at COP30 in Brazil, also supports the implementation of the Belém Health Action Plan. It is a landmark framework that places human health at the centre of global climate action.

It brings together institutional and individual funders operating at international, national, and regional levels to improve health and save lives, with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Gates Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Quadrature Climate Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Philanthropy Asia Alliance (by Temasek Trust), and Wellcome making initial commitments.

“Jessica Anderen, CEO of IKEA Foundation, says, “Protecting people’s health and safeguarding our climate are inseparable goals. We are proud to stand with the Climate and Health Funders Coalition and all partners committed to accelerating innovation, empowering communities, and building a healthier, more resilient future with and for the many people.”

The immediate focus for the first $300 million will be to accelerate solutions, innovations, policies, and research on extreme heat, air pollution, and climate-sensitive infectious diseases.

The funds will also strengthen the integration of critical climate and health data to support resilient health systems that protect people’s lives and livelihoods.

“Climate change is the gravest health threat of our time, and no single organisation, community, or country can tackle it alone,” says Naveen Rao, Senior Vice President of Health at The Rockefeller Foundation.

What does the Belém Health Action Plan focus on?

Belém Health Action Plan will initially focus on building strong health surveillance and monitoring systems to effectively respond to climate-related threats such as disease outbreaks and extreme heat.

It also seeks to implement proven solutions, evidence-based policies, and capacity building, investing in research, technology, and infrastructure to support the most at-risk populations.

Indeed, the past ten years have been the ten warmest on record, and temperatures are expected to remain at or near record levels in the next five years. Climate and health experts have repeatedly warned that warming of more than 1.5°C risks unleashing more severe climate impacts and extreme weather with major consequences for human health.

As a result, rising temperatures are leading to deadly heatwaves, increased air pollution, worsening nutrition, threats to maternal and newborn health, and changes in how and where the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue are spreading.

Extreme weather events are also increasingly disrupting food and water supplies and straining health systems, especially in vulnerable regions.

These impacts disproportionately affect the most marginalized, deepening existing health inequities. Without urgent action to reduce greenhouse emissions and strengthen health systems, the climate emergency will continue to escalate health risks and undermine access to care worldwide.

“By coming together to align our priorities and combine our resources, this coalition can accelerate solutions faster, reach more communities, and achieve greater impact. This is the power of collaboration: recognizing the urgency of the challenge and working as one to protect lives, strengthen health systems, and build resilience for communities around the world.”

“Protecting the environment is also about protecting people’s health and livelihoods,” said Antha Williams, who leads the Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Through the Climate and Health Funders Coalition, philanthropy is coming together to move faster to cut pollution, improve lives, and make cities better places to work and live.”

The 2025 Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change, released in October, states that the rate of heat-related deaths has surged 23% since the 1990s, to 546,000 a year, while a record 154,000 deaths were linked to air pollution from wildfire smoke in 2024 alone. On the other hand, the global average transmission potential of dengue fever has risen by up to 49% since the 1950s.