COP30 Launches Belem Health Action Plan Amid Massive Funding Gap

The COP30 Presidency rolled out the Belem Health Action Plan (BHAP), the first international climate adaptation framework dedicated specifically to health, on November 13.

The fourth day in the Amazonian city of Belem, an investment of $300mn was announced to support implementation of the plan, which underscored 60 action items across surveillance systems, evidence-based policies and health innovation to address the health risks, reported Down To Earth.

According to ‘The Belem Health Action Plan For The Adaptation of the Health Sector to Climate Change’ report, the plan provides a roadmap for countries to confront the escalating climate-related health threats, from heatwaves and vector-borne diseases to the disruption of food and water systems. It is also a part of the COP30 Action Agenda, mainly address under Objective 16, which promotes resilient health systems in the face of the climate crisis.

A 2024 World Economic Forum report estimated that by 2050, climate change may cause 14.5–15.6mn deaths.  In light of this, the United Nations Environment Programme has stated that the one-time $300mn grant for climate-health adaptation measures was insufficient, particularly when compared to the estimated $11bn needed annually for basic health adaptation alone.

The most recent Adaptation Gap Report had also highlighted that just 4% of multilateral climate adaptation funding between 2019 and 2023 was allocated to health. A recent report by adelphi, a European think-and-do tank for climate and development, had also stressed that of all multilateral climate finance, only 0.5% goes to health, reported Down To Earth.

“With regards to finance, the reality is that we have a deficit that is quite colossal,” Carlos Lopes, Special Envoy for Africa, COP30 Presidency, said in the news release. He was speaking during a separate press conference at COP30 on ‘Positioning Health at the Centre of Adaptation Finance’ on November 13.

Health Adaptation in Crisis

The COP30 Presidency introduced the Belém Health Action Plan (BHAP), a first-of-its-kind global framework focused on climate-health adaptation. It outlines 60 action points spanning surveillance, policy and innovation. Though an initial $300 million was pledged, experts say the financing gap remains vast, calling the commitment “a drop in the bucket”, according to Climate Action Network South Asia.

According to the Adaptation Gap Report 2023 by United Nations Environment Programme, adaptation funding for developing countries is under-financed by $194-366bn annually. Meanwhile, only 0.5% of multilateral climate financing has gone to health projects.