Resourcing Climate and Health Priorities: A Mapping of International Finance Flows from 2018–2022

The impacts of the climate crisis are being felt around the world as people lose their families, communities, lands, and livelihoods. Every fraction of warming compounds this suffering, and the cost of inaction will ultimately be measured in human lives. It is estimated that climate change could result in 14.5–15.6 million deaths between 2026 and 2050.

Countries are planning for the threat climate change poses to health, and finance ― both domestic and international ― must keep up to meet those needs. This white paper provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the levels and trends in self-reported financing for climate and health ― a critical baseline understanding from which countries, funders, implementers, and advocates can work to strengthen financing for climate and health.

Key Findings:

• Increased Investment: Finance commitments for climate and health increased ten-fold from less than US$1 billion in 2018 to US$7.1 billion in 2022, from bilateral donors (US$4.8bn), multilateral health funds (US$1.5bn), multilateral development banks (US$0.6bn), philanthropies (US$160mn), and multilateral climate funds (US$23mn).
• Challenges: This available finance does not reach those who need it most. Less than half of the total funding flowed to low-income countries, and a significant portion of bilateral donor financing was in the form of loans rather than grants.
• Future Outlook: In an era of polycrises and growing fiscal constraints, all finance partners will have a key role to play in scaling needed finance, with the largest growth likely to come from multilateral development banks and multilateral climate and health funds.
• Recommendations: The report provides concrete actions that public, private, and philanthropic donors can take to scale up funding, improve access, and ensure finance meets the needs of the most impacted countries and communities.