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 …
The youth wants reparations, not charity or debt
Addressing gender inequalities of losses and damages
Gender is a critical component of discussions over climate action
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 …
Early warning systems to reduce loss and damage in riverine char communities in Bangladesh
Early warning systems and their transformational approach to saving lives
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. …
Addressing loss and damage is an equity and justice issue
Our political leaders can no longer ignore that we live in the era of Loss & Damage and extreme climate impacts necessarily represent the organization’s mission and program priorities
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 …
Climate vulnerable nations stand up to mobilize funding facilities for Loss and Damage
Let 2022 be the year when the issue of L&D from human-induced climate change is recognized with utmost urgency and importance
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 …
Loss and Damage, what’s next from Scotland?
If the world is to tackle the worst impacts of climate change then progress must be made at a much quicker pace
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 …
COP27: The Governance Challenges for Santiago Network for Loss and Damage
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 …
Preparations for CoP 27 in Egypt leave vulnerable countries with serious doubts on outcomes for Loss and Damage
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 …
Operationalization of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage: Road to COP 27
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 …
Glasgow Dialogue needs to deliver on Loss and Damage Finance Facility
With a 1 degree increase in temperature above pre-industrial levels, climate change is already causing mayhem in different parts of the world. The term Loss and Damage (capitalised letters) refers to the political debate under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) following the establishment of the Warsaw Mechanism for Loss and Damage in 2013, which is to …