Health
Developed countries blocking climate finance, endangering global health — Group
By Dare Akogun
The Global Climate and Health Alliance has accused developed countries of frustrating negotiations on climate finance at the just-concluded Bonn Climate Conference (SB64), warning that continued delays in mobilising adaptation funding are placing the health and lives of millions of people, particularly in developing countries such as Nigeria, at greater risk.
The alliance said the inability of wealthy nations to honour previous commitments to scale up adaptation finance is undermining efforts by climate-vulnerable countries to protect their populations from worsening heatwaves, flooding, food insecurity, disease outbreaks and other health emergencies driven by climate change.
Speaking during a side event at the United Nations climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, the alliance’s Policy Lead, Jess Beagley, criticised developed countries for failing to demonstrate meaningful commitment to climate finance despite pledging only months earlier to significantly increase support for adaptation.
According to Beagley, health cannot be protected from climate change without adequate and predictable financing.
“There can simply be no health without finance for adaptation action. The same applies for wider climate finance, including for mitigation or loss and damage,” she said.
She lamented that negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation had been slowed by disagreements over finance, warning that vulnerable countries remain unable to implement national climate adaptation plans because promised resources have not materialised.
The alliance noted that while many developing countries are already experiencing severe health impacts linked to climate change, financial support required to strengthen health systems and community resilience remains grossly inadequate.
Nigeria among countries at risk
For Nigeria, climate experts say the concerns raised in Bonn are particularly significant.
The country continues to experience increasingly frequent floods, prolonged droughts, desertification, coastal erosion, heat stress and changing disease patterns, all of which place enormous pressure on the healthcare system.
Health professionals have repeatedly warned that climate change is contributing to increased cases of malaria, cholera, meningitis, malnutrition, respiratory illnesses and heat-related conditions across different regions of the country.
The alliance argued that adaptation finance is critical for strengthening hospitals, improving disease surveillance, protecting water and sanitation systems and preparing communities for climate-related disasters.
Without such investments, experts say countries like Nigeria may struggle to safeguard public health as climate impacts intensify.
Beagley alleged that developed countries had consistently blocked progress across several negotiating tracks by resisting stronger commitments on climate finance.
According to her, this has weakened the implementation of existing climate agreements and delayed action needed to protect vulnerable populations.
“Developed countries have hindered implementation and blocked progress across negotiations by failing to refer to climate finance, while developing countries already bearing the health impacts and wider burdens of climate impacts are unable to implement national climate plans without it,” she said.
She further argued that the influence of fossil fuel interests continued to undermine negotiations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to her, the continued participation of industries responsible for large-scale emissions in climate negotiations raises concerns about conflicts of interest.
“This block on progress is compounded by the influence of harmful polluting industries such as fossil fuels, contributing to a lack of progress on outcomes relating to mitigation and science,” she stated.
Beagley urged governments participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process to strengthen safeguards governing participation in climate negotiations.
Mitigation talks fail to deliver
The alliance also expressed disappointment over the outcome of negotiations on the Mitigation Work Programme, describing discussions as largely inconclusive.
Beagley said delegates were unable to agree on a substantive decision that could be forwarded for consideration at the next climate meeting in Antalya.
According to her, future mitigation discussions must be directly linked to implementation of the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement.
“If the mitigation work programme is to continue, it must make clear links to the Global Stocktake, or else dialogues will remain talk shops isolated from the implementation so desperately needed to protect populations from the accelerating health impacts of climate change,” she said.
Scientists defend role of IPCC
Another major issue highlighted during the Bonn talks was what the alliance described as attempts by some countries to weaken the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in providing scientific evidence for global climate negotiations.
Post-Doctoral Researcher with the alliance, Nova Tebbe, stressed that sound scientific evidence remains central to effective climate policymaking.
“The climate change problem cannot be resolved without a clear understanding of the evidence,” Tebbe said.
She urged governments to strengthen support for the IPCC and ensure that research from developing countries receives greater recognition in future assessment reports.
According to her, improving participation by scientists from vulnerable regions would produce more inclusive evidence capable of informing better climate decisions.
“Conducting research and scientific advancements on climate change is essential to tackling climate change and ensuring healthy lives for all,” she added.
Tebbe maintained that findings from the upcoming Seventh Assessment Report of the IPCC should play a central role during the second Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement.
“Protecting and improving health is dependent on it,” she said.
Health must remain central to just transition
The alliance also welcomed discussions on developing a global mechanism for a just transition away from fossil fuels but warned that health considerations must not be overlooked.
Tebbe said although negotiations showed some progress, differing positions among countries meant that further discussions would continue at the next UN climate conference.
“It is essential that health is included in the scope of the mechanism, along with adequate resources and support, in order to save lives and build resilience by transitioning away from fossil fuels,” she said.
The alliance equally expressed concern over inadequate funding for the international Loss and Damage Fund established to support countries suffering irreversible impacts of climate change.
Policy Coordinator at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, Michele Baker, warned that slow progress on adaptation and mitigation would inevitably increase climate-related destruction and health emergencies worldwide.
“Although loss and damage did not appear on the agenda in Bonn, the failure of countries to make progress in other negotiations has grave implications for loss and damage,” Baker said.
She argued that without stronger action to reduce emissions and improve adaptation financing, vulnerable communities would continue to experience escalating losses.
“The failure to make meaningful progress on mitigation to reduce emissions and limit climate change impacts, coupled with the failure to advance adaptation finance to make our communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change, will only result in greater loss and damage, and the cost will be the health and lives of people around the world,” she said.
Baker further noted that the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage remains significantly underfunded despite growing global needs.
According to her, future negotiations should prioritise resource mobilisation strategies capable of sustaining the fund and ensuring rapid support for affected communities.
“In addition to greater pledges from developed countries, a resource mobilisation strategy is critical to support the fund’s sustainability, ensuring availability of life-saving funds for those who need them most,” she said.
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