Some 35 global philanthropies have come together to commit an initial $300 million for integrated action to tackle the escalating public health crisis driven by climate change.
The philanthropies have come together under the umbrella of the Climate and Health Funders Coalition to launch the inaugural funding effort at COP30, as well as supporting the implementation of the Belém Health Action Plan, a framework that places human health at the centre of global climate action.
The coalition includes both institutional and individual funders, including 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.
‘The gravest health threat’
“Climate change is the gravest health threat of our time, and no single organisation, community, or country can tackle it alone,” commented Naveen Rao, senior vice president of health at The Rockefeller Foundation. “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: recognising the urgency of the challenge and working as one to protect lives, strengthen health systems, and build resilience for communities around the world.”
The initial $300 million pledged will go towards accelerating solutions, innovations, policies and research on extreme heat, air pollution and climate-sensitive infectious diseases, as well as seeking to strengthen the integration of climate and health data with health networks themselves.
Focus will also be placed on scaling interventions, shifting decision-making to affected communities, and leveraging public, private, and multilateral funding for long-term impact, with coalition leaders noting that climate change disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant people, older adults, outdoor workers, and marginalised communities.
‘A role to play’
“Every person should have the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life, no matter where they were born,” added Steve Davis, senior advisor, philanthropic partnerships at the Gates Foundation. “But a hotter world with less predictable and more extreme weather is threatening that vision for the future, particularly for people in low- and middle-income countries.
“Philanthropy has a unique role to play in contributing flexible funding to accelerate innovative solutions that protect health and help communities build resilience to climate shocks.” Read more here.
