Displaced people affected by floods at a camp in Kotri, Jamshoro district, Sindh province (Pakistan), September 28, 2022. RIZWAN TABASSUM / AFP
It has already been a subject of extreme tension between the countries of the North and the South, whose dialogue is hanging by a thread. But since that summer of climate catastrophes, in which Pakistan was devastated by floods or East Africa was threatened by famine by droughts, the question of the irreversible damage caused by global warming is currently emerging as the most burning climate negotiation. This file, dubbed “Loss and Damage,” has become a red line for many developing countries asking for financial assistance, forcing developed nations to change their discourse.
“This is the litmus test for the success of COP27,” the 27th United Nations climate change conference taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt) until November 18, warns Harjeet Singh, strategic director of the Climate Action Network, which is taking place brings together more than 1,800 NGOs from 130 countries.
The losses and damages recognized in the 2015 Paris Agreement relate both to the consequences of sudden climatic events such as floods or hurricanes and to the slow effects of global warming such as sea level rise. They cover deaths, economic losses, forced migration or the disappearance of cultural assets. These impacts cannot be avoided either by measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or by adapting to climate change. In Pakistan, where more than 1,700 people have died and where the bill is estimated at $30 billion, “it’s too late now to make homes or cultures more resilient,” Harjeet Singh illustrates. Now it’s about helping people rebuild their lives.”
Another burden
When the damage associated with global warming affects all areas, it hits harder on developing countries, which lack the resources to deal with it and minimize its impact. According to a recent report by Oxfam, an average of 189 million people have been affected by extreme events in developing countries every year since 1991. An additional burden for countries that are already heavily indebted. However, these states are the least responsible for climate change as they contribute less to current and especially past emissions.
Conversely, developed countries have built their wealth thanks to fossil fuels – coal, oil, gas – which are the main causes of global warming. “Losses and damage result from the failure of the North to reduce its emissions and provide the financial assistance promised to countries in the South to adapt,” adds Inès Bakhtaoui, associate researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute.
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