The State of Affairs
Global health is at a critical crossroads.
Unprecedented disruptions to the norms and institutions that have underpinned global health for decades — compounded by 21st-century threats from climate change — are revealing the profound fragility of global health systems.
Extreme heat highlights this fragility and the need for the public health sector to evolve. The past decade has been the warmest on record, making it impossible for growing numbers of people to live and work safely. Each year, unrelenting heat waves claim nearly half a million lives and account for billions in GDP losses. Because of extreme heat, sectors that are foundational to many economies are becoming more dangerous — or are disappearing entirely — pushing families deeper into poverty and changing where people can live and thrive.
In the face of health shocks like extreme heat, the public health institutions that served us in the 20th century are no longer adequate. Global public health must evolve — and protecting against extreme heat is at the heart of this transformation. Just as we supported the science, institutions, and infrastructure that tackled past public health challenges, The Rockefeller Foundation is now doing the same to address the climate crisis — arguably the defining health challenge of the century — by supporting communities and their leaders to take lifesaving, cost-effective, climate-informed health action.
Why It Matters
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people worldwide face heightened health risks now because of climate change
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premature deaths due to fossil fuel pollution each year
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in additional global health costs by 2050 due to climate change
Climate change is driving health emergencies, but frontline communities are taking action
Navigation Tip: Hover over each card to learn about live-saving actions led by communities most impacted.
Our Strategy
- 1Next Generation Climate Services: Supporting universal protection from climate events through life-saving early warning and action systems.
- 2People-Centered Impact: Promoting equitable, proactive responses to extreme weather threats.
- 3Mobilizing Action: Facilitating global commitment, accountability, and financing for climate-health action.
Related Grants
The Rockefeller Foundation’s grantees and global partners are advancing health security and resilience in a warming world. Click to learn more.
Featured Content
- Global health is at an inflection point. As funding shrinks, climate threats grow, and long-standing systems falter, the world must move from aid to investment, shift power to local leaders, and replace siloed programs with system-wide solutions. Dr. Naveen Rao, Senior Vice President of the Health Initiative at the Rockefeller Foundation, calls for urgent, bold action to build a more resilient, equitable global health system that’s truly fit for the future.
- Extreme heat is becoming deadlier and more frequent, putting over 2 billion workers and the most vulnerable communities at serious risk. In response, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a global Call to Action to protect people, strengthen economies, and limit warming by phasing out fossil fuels. Supported by ten UN agencies, this is a unified push to confront one of the most urgent climate threats of our time.
- At COP29, The Rockefeller Foundation joins the World Health Organization’s call to action to ensure health considerations are embedded in all climate negotiations, strategies, policies, and plans. Developed in collaboration with over 100 organizations and 300 experts, the Special Report identifies 5 critical policies that leaders can implement now to protect the estimated 3.3 billion people most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change.
Impact Stories
Across the world, our partners and grantees work to ensure healthy futures for people and the planet.
