‘Loss and damage’ progress at COP27
Eleventh-hour agreement on ‘loss and damage’ at talks in Egypt
A historic ‘loss and damage’ fund has been agreed at the COP27 climate summit, after months of sustained campaigning.
The talks at the Sharm el-Sheikh climate conference in Egypt ended on 20 November with eleventh-hour negotiations to agree to a deal to help countries already facing the impact of climate breakdown.
Quakers joined world faiths the day before in calling for bolder action as the negotiations appeared to stall.
‘Time is running out and it is unacceptable if world leaders do not take clear and decisive action within the few remaining days of COP 27,’ the statement, signed by Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), said. Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU executive, described the COP27 deal as a ‘small step towards climate justice’ but warned there was much more to be done.
In advance of the summit, Quakers worked on a paper outlining sources of funding, to support negotiators and politicians who needed a summary of possibilities.
BYM called for the UK to provide its fair share of funding for a global just transition beyond fossil fuels, and to support communities already bearing the brunt of climate breakdown through an international loss and damage fund paid for by polluters.
Olivia Hanks, climate justice lead for BYM, said: ‘For COP27 to have any chance of making progress, it’s essential that the voices of young people, indigenous people and other climate justice activists are at the centre of the talks, not excluded from them.’
Quakers took part in a Global Day of Action halfway through the summit, calling on delegates to ensure wealthier nations pay reparations to poorer countries. Friends walked in solidarity with the young and citizens of the global south, who have struggled to access COP27.
