New fund targets heat deaths, pollution and disease in a warming world

Delegates at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil have announced a new $300 million funding push to understand and combat the growing health impacts of climate change. The money, pledged by a coalition of major philanthropies, will focus on extreme heat, air pollution and climate-sensitive diseases such as dengue. Researchers estimate that climate-linked heat already contributes to around half a million deaths each year, a figure expected to rise as temperatures climb and urban areas expand.

The new Climate and Health Funders Coalition includes the Rockefeller Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and other global donors. Their aim is to expand data, modelling and pilot projects that help governments decide where to invest in cooling, early-warning systems and health services. At the same summit, host country Brazil launched the Belem Health Action Plan, a framework that encourages ministries of health, environment, transport and finance to coordinate climate-related health policy rather than working in separate silos.

Public funding for climate and health research currently stands at an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion, according to previous studies. Experts at COP30 argue that this is far below what is needed when billions of people are already living with more frequent heatwaves, wildfire smoke and shifting disease patterns. An assessment in medical journals has warned that climate change is eroding hard-won gains in global health, pushing up rates of cardiovascular illness, respiratory problems and infectious outbreaks.

The new fund will back projects that test practical solutions, from reflective roofs and shaded public spaces to climate-smart hospitals and heat-resilient housing. It will also support data systems that can track heat stress in real time, helping cities issue tailored alerts for vulnerable residents. Philanthropies say their role is to take risks and prove what works, allowing public budgets and development banks to scale up the most effective measures.

Inequality sits at the centre of the debate. Children, pregnant women, older people and outdoor workers bear the brunt of rising temperatures, especially in lower-income countries with limited access to air conditioning or medical care. Communities that contributed least to historical emissions are often the ones living with the most brutal heat and weakest infrastructure. Donors at COP30 stressed that any serious climate-health agenda must channel funding and expertise toward these front-line regions rather than just wealthy capitals.

Climate negotiators in Belem are also wrestling with fossil-fuel phase-out language and financing for broader loss and damage. Health advocates hope that the stark numbers on heat deaths and pollution will strengthen the case for faster emissions cuts and adaptation support. They argue that climate policy is often framed in distant temperature targets, whereas hospital admissions, lost work days and premature deaths make the crisis immediate and personal.

Subhead 2 (regional impacts and political stakes)

For countries like Bangladesh, India and many in Africa and Latin America, the outcomes of COP30’s health agenda will be closely watched. These nations are already grappling with record heatwaves, heavier monsoon downpours and longer mosquito seasons that strain fragile health systems. New research funding could help them design targeted interventions, from shaded marketplace designs to digitised disease surveillance in rural clinics.

At the same time, campaigners caution that philanthropic money cannot substitute for public finance or stronger emission-reduction commitments from major polluters. Without deep cuts in fossil-fuel use, they say, every new fund will be chasing a moving target as temperatures rise further. The push at COP30 shows that climate and health are now firmly linked in global diplomacy, but whether that leads to faster action on the ground will depend on decisions far beyond Belem’s conference halls.