Health advocates have urged governments at the Bonn climate talks to triple public, grant-based adaptation finance to at least $120bn by 2035.
The Global Climate and Health Alliance says inadequate funding could weaken health systems and increase risks from malnutrition, waterborne diseases, extreme weather and disrupted healthcare.
The group has also called on developed countries to present national roadmaps for moving away from fossil fuels.
GCHA says negotiators should make progress on loss and damage finance, including better tracking of climate-related health impacts.
SB64 in Bonn is expected to shape discussions on adaptation, fossil fuel transition, food systems, trade and climate policy ahead of the next COP.
Health advocates have urged governments at the Bonn climate talks to triple public, grant-based adaptation finance to at least $120 billion by 2035, warning that inadequate funding could undermine efforts to protect people from climate-linked health risks.
The call came from the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA), as delegates gathered in Bonn for the 64th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies, known as SB64, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). A $40 billion adaptation finance goal established four years ago at 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UNFCCC in Glasgow, Scotland.
This is the first major negotiating session since the COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The mid-year negotiations opened on June 8, 2026 and are expected to run until June 18, 2026. “Over the next fortnight in Bonn, governments must identify clear routes to triple public, grant-based adaptation finance to at least $120 billion by 2035,” said Jess Beagley, policy lead at the GCHA.
Without adaptation finance, life-saving investments in health systems and related sectors such as water, sanitation, disaster preparedness and food systems will remain out of reach, Beagley said. That could increase risks of malnutrition, waterborne diseases, exposure to extreme weather and disruption of healthcare services, she added.
The alliance also urged developed countries to present national energy transition roadmaps for moving away from fossil fuels.
“During SB64, rich countries in particular must clearly state their plans to develop national energy transition roadmaps for transitioning away from fossil fuels, to reduce emissions, strengthen energy security and build resilience,” Beagley said. Governments should also ensure that a just transition away from fossil fuels remains central to the second Global Stocktake process, she added.
Nova Tebbe, a postdoctoral researcher at GCHA, said fossil fuels should be addressed within the UNFCCC’s Just Transition Work Programme.
The International Energy Agency has indicated that no new fossil fuel exploration is compatible with a 1.5 degrees Celsius world, Tebbe said. “Access to reliable, safe and affordable clean energy must be prioritised for clean cooking, hospitals, clinics and communities lacking reliable energy access,” she stated.
The group also called for progress on loss and damage finance. Michele Baker, policy coordinator at GCHA, said negotiators should establish a process and scope for a loss and damage gap report covering both economic and non-economic impacts, particularly on vulnerable communities.
“Climate change is costing health and lives, but these impacts and other losses and damages remain broadly untracked at global level,” Baker said. Only a portion of pledges made to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage have so far been converted into signed agreements or disbursed, she noted. Current pledges total just over $800 million, far below the billions needed to meet existing needs.
The alliance also raised concerns about debt burdens, citing the Bridgetown Initiative’s 2024 finding that the world’s poorest countries spend more on debt servicing than on healthcare, education and infrastructure combined.
SB64 is expected to lay the groundwork for COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, later this year. Major issues on the agenda include climate adaptation, trade and climate policy, food systems, fossil fuel transition pathways, implementation of the Just Transition Mechanism agreed at COP30, and greater coordination between climate, biodiversity and land degradation conventions, according to researchers, experts and civil society groups.
Negotiators will begin technical discussions on operationalising the 59 Belém Adaptation Indicators adopted at COP30 under the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience. Governments will also examine how adaptation progress can feed into the second Global Stocktake and continue work on National Adaptation Plans.
Trade and climate interactions are expected to gain prominence, with the first technical dialogue mandated under the COP30 Mutirão decision set to examine carbon border adjustment measures, industrial policies, deforestation-related trade rules and carbon accounting requirements.
On food systems, countries will discuss financing and implementation support for climate action in agriculture under the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Agriculture and Food Security. Negotiations under the Just Transition Work Programme will focus on operationalising the new Just Transition Mechanism, which is intended to support capacity building, technical assistance and international cooperation.
Discussions are also expected to explore stronger links between climate, biodiversity and land restoration agendas ahead of meetings under all three Rio Conventions later this year.