Washington: Unabated climate change poses a significant threat to global poverty reduction efforts, with projections indicating that it could push an additional 132 million people into extreme poverty by 2030, largely due to health impacts. More than half of these individuals are expected to reside in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
According to World Bank, the impact of climate change on current and future generations hinges on the decisions made today. In response to this pressing issue, the World Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting countries in addressing the health challenges posed by the climate crisis. As the largest climate financier and the biggest funder of health systems globally, the World Bank is dedicated to increasing investments in climate-health action through its Climate and Health Program. This initiative integrates climate considerations into its extensive $30 billion health portfolio, which spans over 100 countries.
The World Bank’s strategy focuses on strengthening health systems to predict, detect, prepare for, and respond to climate risks and disasters. This includes building climate-informed surveillance and early-warning systems, enhancing health workforce capacity in climate-health, and climate-proofing healthcare infrastructure. Furthermore, the Bank is aiding the transition of health systems to low-carbon, high-quality service delivery, which includes adopting clean, renewable energy and developing low-carbon medicines and equipment. This transition is crucial as the health sector itself contributes to approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, the World Bank is addressing the root causes of climate change and its health impacts by collaborating across sectors to scale up efforts in areas such as One Health, water, sanitation, hygiene, and energy efficiency. Significant investments have already been made in over 100 countries, with nearly three-fifths allocated for adaptation interventions like urgent nutrition support, surveillance systems, and emergency response centers.
For instance, in Indonesia, the World Bank is collaborating with other multilateral development banks to invest $4 billion in the country’s health system transformation. This financing aims to provide energy-efficient medical and laboratory equipment and telemedicine services, benefiting approximately 273 million Indonesians. In Sierra Leone, the Bank is supporting the procurement of low-carbon health equipment and climate-smart infrastructure improvements, enhancing access to resilient, high-quality health services for a significant portion of the population.
In Nigeria, the World Bank is working with other funders to support the government’s integration of climate considerations into health sector reforms. This involves infrastructure solarization, climate-health policy planning, and financial protection for climate-vulnerable populations. The project aims to improve health system assets, governance, and preparedness while providing better access to essential health services for 40 million people.