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Sir,
If there are any sticking issues that have managed to unite developing country governments and civil society organisations at the UNFCCC COP27 that has just ended in Egypt are loss and damage as well as the continued investment in fossil fuel burning. These are the key elements that have managed to get civil society organisations and developing countries to speak with one voice, simply because there are issues of climate finance involved.
Loss and damage, including fossil fuel burning, have witnessed negotiating partners developing a cat and mouse relationship at the just ended COP27. Unfortunately, these key elements have not managed to have a favourable response as envisaged.
For the purpose of this discussion and in view of the fact that laypersons constitute the majority of the readership, here is a simple working definition of loss and damage. These are severe, damaging and unavoidable effects of climate change impacts that cannot be realised through adaptation.
Impacts
The impacts have either taken place, or are hardly avoidable because they are driven by natural global heating while no adaptation is possible. Lack of resources leads to unaffordable complexities. In this case, loss and damage can be viewed as negative impacts of climate change due to lack of resources for coping mechanisms.
When the developing countries are asking for loss and damage to be included as key elements of COP27 resolutions, they are doing so in good faith since they were least responsible for causing global warming. Furthermore, they lack mechanisms and resources to cope or deal with disaster risks and outcomes of climate-induced disasters. For this reason, developing countries under the banner of G7 have called for the establishment of a dedicated loss and damage finance facility. Unfortunately, the main polluting actors have pledged support, but they lack commitment to compensate developing countries in monetary terms. It is this lack of commitment and sincerity that is worrying developing countries and their civil society partners and COP27 was their only hope to get these issues addressed.
Peter Makwanya