Equity and Justice for Climate-Related Loss and Damage
KAIROS is pleased to launch its report Addressing Ecological Debt – Equity and Justice for Climate-Related Loss and Damage, which centers on the analyses and experience of partners in the Global South. Additional background on the global loss and damage conversation is included to support discussions in our network and for advocacy. The report concludes with recommendations for the Canadian government and the international community.
At this stage of global heating, losses and damage are no longer preventable. The world is failing to meet targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction and adaptation measures are no longer keeping up with the impacts from climate change. The devastating impacts of climate change are resulting in unquantifiable losses and damages, including loss of lives and livelihoods, as well as degradation of farmland, cultural heritage, Indigenous knowledge, societal and cultural identity, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
Many communities and countries in the Global South are experiencing loss and damage disproportionately to the Global North, and these countries have done the least to cause climate change. Therefore, there is a moral imperative for the Global North to provide reparations to the Global South for loss and damage related to climate change. At COP27 held in 2022 in Egypt, a preliminary agreement to establish a Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) was announced. This development was the result of three decades of advocacy by climate-vulnerable countries and civil society organizations. KAIROS global partners have been responding to loss and damage in their local context and bring critical insight into how the LDF should be established.
From this report, the distinction of the fund as a vehicle of reparations vs. aid is crucial. It is clearly evident that Canada and other historically high-emitting countries’ fossil fuel emissions who have contributed to the impacts of climate change have a crucial role to play in reversing the negative impacts of climate change through supporting the Loss and Damage fund. Reliable financial commitment and investment is pivotal in the process. The recommendations made, if followed, could go a long way at addressing climate-related loss and damage, promoting equity and justice for all, particularly the vulnerable communities in the Global South.
Barbara Mangwende, MA, Director of Programs KAIROS Canada
Take Action:
- Share the report!
- Send a letter to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of International Development outlining KAIROS and global partners’ recommendations for the Loss and Damage Fund and global climate finance.
Learn More:
- Establishing a dedicated fund for loss and damage – Key takeaways from COP27, UNFCCC
- Loss and damage: A moral imperative to act (Interview with Dr. Adelle Thomas, lead author of the IPCC’s 2022 Special Report on 1.5°C)
- A Champion of Climate Justice Dies on the Eve of a Key Fight, What on Earth (Podcast) – November 5, 2023
