UN flags adaptation finance gap and Lancet Countdown warns rising heat toll ahead of COP30
October 29, 2025 | United Nations, Federal
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The UN spokesperson highlighted two reports released that day: the UN Environment Programme's adaptation gap report and the 2025 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate produced with the World Health Organization.
On the UNEP report, the spokesperson said adaptation planning and implementation are improving but adaptation finance needs in developing countries by 2035 "are over $310,000,000,000 per year," a figure the spokesperson described as "12 times as much as current international public adaptation finance and finance flows." He quoted the secretary-general saying the report is "a red alert" and urged that COP30 in Brazil must "deliver a global action plan to ensure developing countries have the resources and capacity to protect their people."
Regarding the Lancet Countdown report, the spokesperson said it warned that overreliance on fossil fuels and failure to adapt are already harming human health. He cited the report's finding that heat-related mortality has increased by 23% since the late 1990s and that governments spent $956,000,000,000 on net fossil fuel subsidies in 2023, noting that these subsidies exceed pledged support to climate-vulnerable countries.
On the UNEP report, the spokesperson said adaptation planning and implementation are improving but adaptation finance needs in developing countries by 2035 "are over $310,000,000,000 per year," a figure the spokesperson described as "12 times as much as current international public adaptation finance and finance flows." He quoted the secretary-general saying the report is "a red alert" and urged that COP30 in Brazil must "deliver a global action plan to ensure developing countries have the resources and capacity to protect their people."
Regarding the Lancet Countdown report, the spokesperson said it warned that overreliance on fossil fuels and failure to adapt are already harming human health. He cited the report's finding that heat-related mortality has increased by 23% since the late 1990s and that governments spent $956,000,000,000 on net fossil fuel subsidies in 2023, noting that these subsidies exceed pledged support to climate-vulnerable countries.
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