Over the last few weeks, a number of developments around the world has brought forth the need to hold polluters responsible for the loss and damage they have been causing the planet. The latest such event is the devastating floods in Pakistan, which has been scientifically attributed to human-induced climate change. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the floods “climate …

In September last year, my organization YouthNet for Climate Justice, facilitated a joint oversight visit with parliamentarians and youth groups in the climate-affected areas of Bangladesh to observe the ground realities. As part of this field visit, we hosted some climate dialogues and heard the voices on the frontlines. Among many of the community people who faced the negative consequences …

In the parlance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change “losses and damages” refer broadly to harm from observed climate change impacts (past and current) and projected risks (future). The recent IPCC AR6 WGII report states that “observed mortality and losses due to floods and droughts are much greater for regions with high vulnerability and vulnerable populations such as the …

Practical Action has been working on flood risk management for many years and is interested to explore with local people what can be done to reduce the losses and damages as a result of flooding hitting the poorest, and the most vulnerable communities in Bangladesh. In 2018, we started working with the flood vulnerable communities of Faridpur in south-central Bangladesh. …

As the third pillar of action under the Paris Agreement, efforts to address Loss and  Damage have been primarily framed as a politically divisive yet technically focused domain in the climate regime. In reality, it is the very essence of climate justice based on the economic and non-economic damages disproportionately suffered by communities, particularly in poor and vulnerable countries and …

Loss and damage from human induced climate change has been around as early as 1991, when the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) called for a mechanism that would help to compensate countries affected by the rise in sea levels. Despite its long lingering history, why does the issue of L&D stand out in today’s climate scenario? Heavy rains swept …

For too long the issue of addressing Loss and Damage has remained in the margins of climate negotiations. The Warsaw International Mechanism and the Santiago Network have begun to assist with knowledge exchange and capacity building, yet distinct finance for addressing Loss and Damage has remained largely off the table while progress was made at COP26 with the establishment of …

The idea of establishing an implementation arm of Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM), was put forward by the Least Developing Countries (LDCs) at COP25, held in Madrid in 2019. It was quickly accepted by other groups like AOSIS, AGN and AILAC. Hence, G-77 and China moved with the common position to negotiate with the developed country Parties. However, due to the consensus among …

I have just spent two weeks in Bonn, Germany attending the Subsidiary Bodies meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in preparation for the 27th Conference of Parties (CoP 27) to be held in Sharm Al Shaikh, Egypt in November this year. I have been participating in these meetings since 1992 and it is depressing to …

The Santiago Network on Loss and Damage (SNLD) was established at COP25/CMA2, “as part of the Warsaw International Mechanism,…for averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, to catalyse the technical assistance of relevant organizations, bodies, networks and experts, for the implementation of relevant approaches at the local, national and regional level, in …