Climate change is causing more natural disasters, health problems, and conflicts over resources across the world, and South Asia is one of the regions most affected. As global leaders prepare for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), a new report has revealed a worrying gap between climate funding and efforts to protect people’s health.

According to the report by Adelphi, a climate and environment think tank, very little money is being spent on preparing health systems for the effects of climate change. Since 2004, only 0.5% of total multilateral climate funding, about $173 million, has gone towards making health systems stronger and more adaptable. This is despite the fact that climate change is expected to cause up to 15.6 million deaths by 2050 due to extreme heat, disease outbreaks, and damaged infrastructure.

The report, The Nexus of Adaptation and Health Finance, shows that even though 87% of countries’ National Adaptation Plans mention health as a priority, less than 0.1% of the $2.54 billion needed for health adaptation has actually been funded. The small amount of health funding is also unevenly distributed, most of it has gone to East Asia and the Pacific, with none reaching South Asian countries like India, even though the region is expected to face 18% of future climate-related health impacts.

India, in particular, faces a tough situation. The country needs over $2.4 trillion by 2050 to deal with the effects of climate change. It is already experiencing severe heatwaves, irregular monsoons, and rising cases of heatstroke and mosquito-borne diseases. While India has launched some national and state-level adaptation programmes, the scale of the problem far exceeds current resources. Without more global support, India will have to bear the cost mostly on its own, putting huge pressure on its economy and public health system.

At COP30, India and other developing nations are expected to demand stronger financial commitments, such as the creation of a Global Resilience Fund. The goal is to make adaptation financing grant-based, not loan-based, so that poor countries are not burdened with more debt.

With COP30 being called the “Adaptation COP,” experts say this is a crucial moment for the world to act. The new report sends a clear message: climate change is not just an environmental issue,  it’s a health emergency. Without urgent action and major investment in health systems, millions of lives could be lost by 2050.