BELEM, Brazil: With more than a half-million people worldwide dying from heat-related causes every year, a group of philanthropies is putting $300 million into developing life-saving solutions as global temperatures continue to rise.
The money, announced this week at the COP30 climate negotiations in Brazil, is aimed at developing data and figuring out the best investments for tackling rising risks from extreme heat, air pollution and infectious disease.
“We are a philanthropy. We can’t just keep plugging holes and resuscitating a dying model of development,” said Estelle Willie, the director of health policy and communications at The Rockefeller Foundation, one of the funders.
“So what we are trying to do is through our philanthropy capital, we can start testing and validating new solutions through this work and coming together,” she said. Separately, COP30 host Brazil launched an initiative called the Belem Health Action Plan to encourage countries to monitor and coordinate climate-related health policy across their various ministries and departments.
That effort is part of Brazil’s broader focus at the UN climate talks on bolstering countries’ ability to prepare for – and adapt to – worsening climate impacts including floods, fires, drought, storms and hurricanes.
The newly pledged $300 million adds to the $1 billion-$2 billion being spent in public money toward researching climate-related health impacts, according to a 2023 study in PLOS journal.
Experts said far more is still needed.
“Progress on health is declining,” Willie said in an interview with Reuters. “We’ve had hard-fought wins in health through technology, through the global health system. But climate change is literally making every single problem and global health worse right now.”
An October report in The Lancet scientific journal estimates the yearly number of deaths from heat-related causes worsened by climate change at nearly 550,000.
Another 150,000 annual deaths can be linked to air pollution, often from the burning of fossil fuels but also from worsening wildfires, the report said, while some infectious diseases are also rising. Reported cases of dengue fever are also up 49 percent since the 1950s, it said.
UN agencies in August estimated about half the world’s population, or more than 3.3 billion people, are already struggling with the rising heat.
“The warnings from scientists on climate change have become reality. And it is clear that not all people are affected equally,” said John-Arne Røttingen, chief executive of the Wellcome Trust, another funder.
The most vulnerable are children, pregnant women, older people and outdoor workers, along with “those communities with the least resources to respond,” he said.
Other funders in the newly announced Climate and Health Funders Coalition include the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies and IKEA Foundation. Another 27 philanthropies have signed on but have yet to commit funds.
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Deadly heat worldwide prompts $300 million for climate health research at COP30
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Deadly heat worldwide prompts $300 million for climate health research at COP30
- Philanthropies put $300 million into health-related research
- Experts warn climate change is worsening health indicators worldwide
Taiwan says China deploys warships in ‘military operations’
TAIPEI: Taiwan said Friday that China had deployed warships for “military operations” stretching hundreds of kilometers from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea, posing a “threat” to the region.
Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, neither confirmed nor denied the maneuvers.
Taiwan’s defense ministry and other security agencies were monitoring China’s activities and had a “complete grasp of the situation,” presidential office spokeswoman Karen Kuo told reporters.
She did not say how many Chinese ships were involved in the deployment, but a security source told AFP the number was “significant.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The operations were not limited to the Taiwan Strait, but extended from the southern Yellow Sea, to the East China Sea near the disputed Diaoyu Islands and on into the South China Sea and even the Western Pacific, Kuo said.
“This indeed poses a threat and impact on the Indo-Pacific and the entire region,” she said.
Taiwan urged China to “exercise restraint,” Kuo said, adding: “We are also confident that we can handle this matter well.”
Neither China’s armed forces nor state media have announced any increased military activity in the region where Taiwan said Chinese ships had been detected.
Beijing’s foreign ministry did not answer directly when asked if the military was amassing a large number of naval vessels in those waters.
“I want to emphasize that China has consistently followed a defensive policy,” spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press briefing.
“The Chinese navy and coast guard strictly operate in relevant waters according to Chinese domestic law and international law,” Lin said.
He urged “relevant parties” not to “overreact or... engage in groundless hype.”
China has refused to rule out using force to take Taiwan, and also claims contentious sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s intelligence chief Tsai Ming-yen said Wednesday that October to December was the “peak season” for China’s “annual evaluation exercises.”
There was a possibility that China’s ruling Communist Party could turn seemingly routine military activities into drills targeting Taiwan, Tsai warned.
Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, neither confirmed nor denied the maneuvers.
Taiwan’s defense ministry and other security agencies were monitoring China’s activities and had a “complete grasp of the situation,” presidential office spokeswoman Karen Kuo told reporters.
She did not say how many Chinese ships were involved in the deployment, but a security source told AFP the number was “significant.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The operations were not limited to the Taiwan Strait, but extended from the southern Yellow Sea, to the East China Sea near the disputed Diaoyu Islands and on into the South China Sea and even the Western Pacific, Kuo said.
“This indeed poses a threat and impact on the Indo-Pacific and the entire region,” she said.
Taiwan urged China to “exercise restraint,” Kuo said, adding: “We are also confident that we can handle this matter well.”
Neither China’s armed forces nor state media have announced any increased military activity in the region where Taiwan said Chinese ships had been detected.
Beijing’s foreign ministry did not answer directly when asked if the military was amassing a large number of naval vessels in those waters.
“I want to emphasize that China has consistently followed a defensive policy,” spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press briefing.
“The Chinese navy and coast guard strictly operate in relevant waters according to Chinese domestic law and international law,” Lin said.
He urged “relevant parties” not to “overreact or... engage in groundless hype.”
China has refused to rule out using force to take Taiwan, and also claims contentious sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s intelligence chief Tsai Ming-yen said Wednesday that October to December was the “peak season” for China’s “annual evaluation exercises.”
There was a possibility that China’s ruling Communist Party could turn seemingly routine military activities into drills targeting Taiwan, Tsai warned.
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