The crises of climate change and public health require urgent, coordinated action. The collaboration between India and Taiwan is very promising. Both are resilient Indo-Pacific democracies facing rising temperatures, extreme weather and pollution. Together, they could build a model linking the sustainable development goals of climate action and promoting health and well-being.
Climate change has become a public health emergency. It brings heat exhaustion, air pollution and the spread of disease. India’s extreme heat waves cost lives and livelihoods. Taiwan, hit by stronger typhoons and hotter summers, faces a similar strain on its health system. India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health links environmental changes with disease patterns. Taiwan’s monitoring systems connect weather, air quality and health data. Both recognize that effective adaptation requires strong institutions and reliable information.
The foundation already exists. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the trade council hosted the 2022 Taiwan-India SME Cooperation Forum on smart health and medical devices. That year also saw digital-health workshops and the Living Lab on Big Data Analytics. Since 2023, collaboration widened through new research links and regional health dialogues. During India’s COVID-19 crisis, Taiwan offered oxygen concentrators and medical supplies. These experiences could lead to structured cooperation on telemedicine, disease forecasting and healthcare resilience.
Taiwanese companies such as Delta Electronics, Foxlink and Advantech have invested in India’s smart-city and renewable-energy projects, providing low-carbon systems and electric-mobility solutions. Their work supports India’s energy transition and reduces air pollution. India’s affordable pharmaceuticals and vaccines could reinforce Taiwan’s health security. A partnership built on green technology and health innovation would connect national goals.
Indian and Taiwanese universities, including IIT Madras, IIT Bombay and National Taiwan University, collaborate on climate modeling, disaster risk reduction and biomedical engineering. Joint work on typhoon and monsoon forecasting and climate data analysis could improve early warnings.
Healthcare systems must also change. Extreme weather disrupts power, damages facilities and spreads waterborne diseases. Taiwan’s experience with energy-efficient, disaster-resilient hospitals complements India’s push to equip rural health centers with solar power and digital tools. A joint “climate-smart healthcare” initiative could merge clean energy and health preparedness into one cohesive framework.
Regarding finance, both governments have issued green and sustainability bonds, yet projects connecting health and climate often fall through policy gaps. A shared “climate-health finance” platform could attract investments for heat-resilient housing, clean air zones and pollution control.
Development banks and private investors see that protecting health is a form of climate action. The barriers are political, not practical. Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN limits its role in global forums, while India’s size complicates implementation. Quiet, evidence-based cooperation offers a way forward that avoids geopolitics while delivering results.
The Indo-Pacific region’s stability relies as much on resilience as on security. Rising temperatures, pollution and disease outbreaks threaten health and growth. Heat waves already cause more deaths than any other climate hazard. These pressures could reverse years of development gains. This partnership also helps bridge a long-standing policy gap: the tendency to treat climate and health as separate agendas. Air pollution, extreme heat and flooding link environmental change directly to public health.
For India, the task is to make health central to climate strategy, considering clean air, safe water and resilient healthcare as national adaptation goals. For Taiwan, the opportunity lies in sharing its technological and public health expertise.
In a region shaped by uncertainty, the India-Taiwan partnership offers a practical source of hope. When climate policy protects health and when health systems adapt to a hotter world, both societies gain security and dignity. By aligning sustainable development goals, the two nations could help lead Asia toward a future where resilience and well-being reinforce each other.
Sutandra Singha is an independent researcher with a doctorate in international studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, specializing in climate change.
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