Loss and damage is not charity, it’s climate justice
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What happens in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan. This message is clearly displayed on the Pakistan pavilion in Sharm-el-Sheikh, at the occasion of the 27th Conference of Parties COP27, hosted by Egypt this year.
Thousands of people felt helpless and at the mercy of nature when the deluge in August washed away their entire life savings, their homes and livelihoods, leaving a third of Pakistan submerged in flood water. Thousands of kilometres of roads were destroyed, infrastructure was washed away and people had to scramble for miles to save their lives and get access to meagre amenities and supplies.
There are scores of heart wrenching, real stories to accelerate the demand for climate justice by citizens of countries around the globe most affected by the ravages of climate change and the philosophical debate is whether they are suffering because of their own actions or are there other actors who are responsible for their loss and sufferings and whether they should be made to feel liable for their actions?
In the aftermath of the recent floods, Pakistan has become a poster child of the devastating impacts of climate change, aptly described by Antonio Guterres, UN secretary general on the occasion of COP27 as the “highway to climate hell.”
The freak weather patterns of this year are a grim reminder that climate change induced disasters are significantly setting back Pakistan’s development ambitions and increasing the poverty gap.
Dr. Mehreen Mujtaba
2022 saw Pakistan facing a myriad of climate induced devastations. Earlier this year Pakistan witnessed heatwaves resulting in the hottest March since 1901. Ecological disasters like droughts and then massive floods in Pakistan are the fingerprints of climate change.
Pakistan has become the example of why some countries in the region are fighting for the “loss and damage” cause. The concept behind the argument is convincing since it demands from countries that are contributing the most to climate change with their high levels of emissions to take responsibility and pay poorer countries to recover from the resulting damages. Pakistan is responsible for 0.8% of total global emissions, but is currently paying a heavy price for the actions of others.
It is pertinent here to understand what loss and damage is.
It’s not a new demand. It was first proposed by the Pacific island state of Vanuata in 1991, asking high emitting countries to funnel funds towards those low lying island state that are impacted by sea level rise. The Paris Agreement had decided to set aside $100 billion per annum goal for annual delivery to developing countries until 2025. This goal was decided by developed countries during COP15 in 2009. However, the flaw in this goal is that they didn’t take into account the needs and priorities of developing countries.
While this demand makes perfect sense and logic to the countries demanding a dedicated fund directed by developed countries to fund climate adaptation and mitigation related activities in climate impacted countries, there’s a major resistance to loss and damage demands from developed countries. Foremost, the developed countries, mainly the US, are concerned that paying for this would be an admission on their part that they were responsible for the disasters being faced by the countries such as Pakistan. The US has historically been pushing against such demands and even now is tiptoeing around the issue. Secondly, the debate around the use of legal definition of loss and damage is stalling the demand. It’s not yet clear whether loss and damage should be termed a form of liability, compensation or even a form of reparation.
At COP27, Pakistan is leading the demand for the creation of a dedicated financial mechanism for loss and damage, which is the official agenda for this year, in addition to existing climate finance meant to help countries adapt to climate change and transition to clean energy.
The freak weather patterns of this year are a grim reminder that climate change induced disasters are significantly setting back Pakistan’s development ambitions and increasing the poverty gap. Apart from lives lost and massive displacements, according to the World Bank, infrastructure damages, loss of livestock, crops, assets have been massive, with more than $30 billion in damages and economic loss.
In a nutshell, rich countries taking responsibility for their role in causing the climate crisis is key to capping global emissions. The Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) promises must be respected and fulfilled. Loss and damage is not charity, it’s climate justice.
- Dr. Mehreen Mujtaba is a freelance consultant working in the areas of environment and health.
