The World Health Organization (WHO)-World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Climate and Health Joint Programme, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Wellcome announce new regional efforts to connect climate science to health action to prevent heat impacts and save lives.
At Mumbai Climate Week, the WMO-WHO Climate and Health Joint Programme, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Wellcome announced two new integrated initiatives to protect South Asians from extreme heat - a rapidly escalating threat to human health and economic stability in the subcontinent.
"Few regions feel the impacts of extreme heat as sharply as South Asia, and I welcome the clear determination to respond. We all know that every death primarily due to excess heat can be prevented and heat health action plans are saving lives," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
"By uniting science, government leadership and support, and community action, countries here are proving that this challenge can be met."
The two complementary initiatives are funded by The Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome.
- The South Asia Climate-Health Desk, established as part of the WHO-WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme and implemented with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), India Meteorological Department (IMD), and other partners will improve how climate and weather information is translated into action to protect health. It is one of the first units under the Joint Programme to embrace research and development and operational domains in climate and health and it will develop more robust decision support tools such as early warning and risk assessments.
- The South Asia Scientific Research Consortium, supported through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, will deepen the region's scientific understanding of how heat affects different populations. By developing tailored heat‑risk thresholds, this consortium aims to ultimately strengthen heat action planning, early warning systems, and preparedness efforts, helping communities and institutions better adapt to rising temperatures.
These projects are the first two components of a broader, more ambitious regional strategy to address extreme heat risks to health. As part of a growing suite of Joint Programme initiatives, including regional activities of the Global Heat Health Information Network, these are first steps of coordinated science-driven efforts to protect communities.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for urgent global action to address the growing risk of extreme heat worldwide, which takes a heavy toll on health in South Asia - the world's most populated region. According to WMO, Asia is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, intensifying extreme weather and placing growing pressure on lives and livelihoods, health systems, economies, and ecosystems across the region, putting the most vulnerable and exposed communities at critical risk.
In India and Pakistan, pre-monsoon temperatures regularly rise above 50°C, and heat-related mortality in the region today exceeds 200,000 deaths per year. At the same time, extreme heat undermines economic stability and productivity. In 2024 alone , heat exposure in India led to 247 billion potential labor hours lost - reducing labor capacity and leading to an estimated $194 billion loss in income, according to the Lancet Countdown.
"Extreme heat is a growing risk for lives and livelihoods in South Asia," said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD's Director General of Meteorology and Permanent Representative of India to WMO. "IMD welcomes this partnership with IITM under the South Asia Climate-Health Desk, which will strengthen the science-to-services pathway, improve early warning support for health, and help decision-makers act in time to protect communities during severe heat events."
Transdisciplinary action
Addressing extreme heat requires coordinated, transdisciplinary action. This integrated effort equips governments, public services, communities, and health systems with the actionable knowledge they need to prevent avoidable illness and save lives.
This announcement is the first in a series of rollouts planned in 2026, highlighting work being carried out in the region. The Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome's US $11.5 million investment in the WHO-WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme aims to expand climate‑informed health action in vulnerable regions.
The two philanthropies committed the funds to pioneer new models of science-driven collaboration between health partners and meteorological departments, aiming to bridge a gap that often leaves health systems without critical climate information that can protect communities and save lives.
"After a decade of punishing and increasingly deadly heatwaves across India and the wider South Asia region, it's clear that business‑as‑usual public health approaches are no longer enough. Protecting India's most vulnerable communities requires rethinking how we deliver care and invest in the solutions frontline providers and patients urgently need today," said Dr. Naveen Rao, Senior Vice President of Health at The Rockefeller Foundation. "Through our support to the Joint Programme, we aim to help turn cutting‑edge science into real‑world impact, helping India and the region build a resilient, climate‑ready health system fit for the 21st century."
"Rising temperatures due to climate change are a public health threat, endangering people's lives and livelihoods throughout the world. In South Asia, extreme heat is hitting communities hard - in particular children, pregnant people, older people, outdoor workers and those communities with the least resources to respond," said Dr. Alan Dangour, Director of Climate and Health at Wellcome. "We need to invest in science-led solutions that both cut emissions and build resilience, with public health at the core of decision-making. Wellcome is proud to work with partners and communities across South Asia to develop the evidence, tools and solutions that will ultimately improve health and save lives."
Through the establishment of these initiatives, South Asia is leading the way in implementing this integrated climate and health approach that connects research, climate monitoring and forecasting, and health responses to protect people from the health risks of climate variability and change.
