Addressing Loss and Damage conference - practical action: summary report

UN Climate Change High-Level Champions Foreword

Nigel Topping
UN Climate Change High Level Champion

Dr. Mahmoud Moheildin
UN Climate Change High Level Champion

The negative impacts of climate change are contributing to losses and damages happening to every country with increasing severity. However, these are hurting those who have done least to cause the climate crisis, hitting vulnerable communities and countries worst. The latest examples of this are the impacts of floods in Pakistan and Nigeria, and drought in Somalia.

Pakistan alone has suffered at least $30 billion in climate-related damage from heat waves and torrential floods caused by unusually heavy monsoons and melting glaciers. So far, the floods have tragically caused more than 1,480 deaths, destroyed 1.7 million homes, and displaced 33 million people.

Nigeria is also suffering; this October floods have displaced more than 1.4 million people and over 600 people have died and the floods will very likely lead to unprecedented food and health crises.

In Somalia, climate change is a significant factor in creating a famine. This is expected to affect up to 7.1 million people with around 1.5 million children acutely malnourished by the end of 2022.

These demonstrate the severity of the issue of losses and damages and urgency for action. Behind this there is a moral imperative for those who have caused the crisis to step up and take action immediately and help deliver climate justice.

Unfortunately progress on loss and damage has been slow. While COP26 did elevate the issue through agreement to set up the Glasgow Dialogues and commitments to operationalise the Santiago Network, much remains to be achieved. Non-state actors were also called on to act, with the adoption of the Glasgow Climate Pact, countries urging “non-governmental organisations and private sources, to provide enhanced and additional support for activities addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change.”

While there is no substitute for action by States on Loss and Damage, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions are committed to working with non-party stakeholders and non-state actors to make meaningful progress, and accelerate action to address the losses and damages communities and countries are experiencing because of the negative impacts of climate change. We were therefore very pleased to partner with the Scottish Government and the Global Resilience Partnership on an international conference in October with its important focus on practical solutions, and how to mobilise increased finance to address losses and damages from the negative impacts of climate change as soon as possible.

Our campaign Race to Resilience is accelerating adaptation capacity and action towards building a climate-resilient future. To ensure this is sustainable we must ensure that equity and justice are built on a foundation that puts addressing losses and damages at its core.

We look forward to working with non-state actors and non-party stakeholders to help make this happen. In this the continuing leadership of Scotland will be very important.