(Originally published here) The Paris Agreement coming out of the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 negotiations gave breakthrough recognition to loss and damage, sorting through thorny discussions and politically charged negotiating positions. These positions revolved around liability and compensation, which developing countries called for but developed countries were unwilling to have included in the Agreement. The UN Framework Convention on …
Saleemul Huq: if climate talks were democratic, vulnerable countries ‘would have won already’
(Originally published here) With many “climate-vulnerable” nations calling on the Paris climate summit (COP21) to adopt a global warming limit of 1.5℃ rather than 2℃, will these concerns be acted upon? And if not, how much help will they get to cope with the consequences? Matt McDonald: Your research has examined developing countries in the context of climate change – …
Time to agree on a definition of Loss and Damage from Climate Change
International action on loss and damage from climate change is lagging behind the rising frequency and escalating intensity of real impacts. As the Executive Committee members of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) begin to implement the Lima Work Programme on Loss and Damage agreed upon at COP20, an operational definition of loss and damage will enable and guide the next steps. Submission of an …