This is according to a November 17 joint address presented by COP 27 president, Sameh Shoukry, and the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
Their addresses focused on the delays experienced by COP 27 attendees as developed countries and developing countries are yet to reach an agreement on loss and damage as well as adaptation. Shoukry said:
- “Adaptation is still held back by procedural matters; ambitious outcomes on finance have not yet materialized and on loss and damage, parties are shying away from taking the difficult political decisions.”
On November 16, Frans Timmermans, the executive vice president of the European Commission announced that the European Union (EU), will give €60 million to address loss and damage in Africa. Timmermans also said the EU and four member countries – Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, and France will donate €1 billion in support of climate adaptation in Africa.
During his November 17 address, Shoukry said he had discussed at length with the United Nations secretary-general the current status of matters relating to funding arrangements and responding to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change.
According to Shoukry, extra efforts should be exerted by all parties to ensure an agreement on the matters at hand, an agreement that will provide a basis for an appropriate response to the urgent and legitimate demand for adequate funding set up for loss and damage at the earliest.
Negotiators are due for extended talks on loss and damage as the United Nations had earlier revealed that no agreement has been reached on the matter. However, Shoukry gave assurances that the COP 27 presidency is working round the clock to ensure the timely resolution of all issues at hand.
No progress recorded over the years: A publication in the loss and damage collaboration platform states that despite 31 years of pressure, 26 COPs, and multiple workshops and dialogues, there was no dedicated finance to help people deal with the aftermath of climate impacts.
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· By definition, loss and damage refer to the adverse and often irreversible effects of climate change on people and nature beyond natural climate variability.
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· Climate-related calamities displaced about 2.6 million people in sub-Saharan Africa in 2021, and this trend is anticipated to continue as temperatures rise. According to the World Bank, there will be up to 85.7 million climate migrants in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050.
Why this matters: A paper from the loss and damage collaboration aptly links the responsibility that developed countries have to developing countries, the ‘polluter pays’ principle, which says that those responsible for the harm must pay to address it. The paper states:
- “By one calculation, countries in the Global North are responsible for 92% of excess historical emissions. Between 1990 and 2015 the carbon emissions of the richest 1% of people globally were more than double the emissions of the poorest half of humanity. The entire continent of Africa produces less than 4% of global emissions.
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“According to the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, Africa was losing between 5% and 15% of its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth because of climate change. Developed countries must pay for the harm they have helped to cause, which comes in the form of loss and damage in developing countries.”