Africa wants more than pledges on Loss and Damage Fund
Civil society organisations(CSOs) and climate campaigners from Africa have called for more funding and clear implementation of the Loss and Damage fund to effectively support poorest countries in dealing with climate-related disasters.
The campaigners said this in reaction to the establishment of a Loss and Damage fund on Thursday on the sidelines of the 28th Conference of Parties (CoP28) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where over $500 million (about K850 billion) has been pledged for the cause.
Speaking at the launch of the fund, the CoP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber said the development sends a positive signal of momentum to the world.
Within an hour of the adoption of the fund, hosts UAE pledged to contribute $100 million (about K170 billion) just like Germany while Japan committed $10 million (about 17 billion), the United States pledged $17.5 million (about K30 billion), the United Kingdom pledged $75 million (about K128 billion) and the European Union committed to provide $245 million (about K417 billion).
With the 2023 United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) Adaption report indicating that up to $387 billion is required annually for developing nations to adapt to climate-related disasters, Power Shift Africa executive director Mohamed Adow said the initial loss and damage fund pledges are clearly inadequate compared to the scale of need they are to address.
Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation director Mike Terungwa said the pledges sound good, but they are political statements and not real money.
“It would be great if specific time frames could be included for many of the pledges that were made eight years ago at the Paris Agreement. These pledges should not turn into emission or pollution permits from the countries pledging,” he said.
Civil Society Network on Climate Change in Malawi coordinator Julius Ng’oma said there is need for quick flow of the funds to address loss and damage associated with impacts of climate change in least developed countries.
He said: “The establishment of the funds is encouraging to African countries as they are the ones that suffer the most from climate-induced disasters. It is a big win for Malawi too which has seen the worst effects of climate change and the country needs support to build back.”
Germanwatch Climate Loss and Damage policy adviser Lina Ahmed said the discussions about climate finance should be counting in billions.
“The current pledges, which only reach into millions, starkly highlight the discrepancy between need and action. It is crucial to ensure that the fund adheres strictly to human rights principles and the wealthy nations commit to meeting the scale of need,” she said.
The adoption of the fund is a huge milestone for least-developed countries such as Malawi that are vulnerable and impacted by the effects of climate change linked to global warming.
