Sun, 20 Nov 2022 20:56:50 +1100
Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>
<https://theconversation.com/loss-and-damage-who-is-responsible-when-climate-change-harms-the-worlds-poorest-countries-192070>
"You may be hearing the phrase “loss and damage” in the coming weeks as
government leaders meet in Egypt for the 2022 U.N. Climate Change Conference.
It refers to the costs, both economic and physical, that developing countries
are facing from climate change impacts. Many of the world’s most
climate-vulnerable countries have done little to cause climate change, yet they
are experiencing extreme heat waves, floods and other climate-related
disasters. They want wealthier nations – historically the biggest sources of
greenhouse gas emissions – to pay for the harm.
A powerful example is Pakistan, where extreme rainfall on the heels of a
glacier-melting heat wave flooded nearly one-third of the country in the summer
of 2022.
The flooding turned Pakistan’s farm fields into miles-wide lakes that stranded
communities for weeks. More than 1,700 people died, millions lost their homes
and livelihoods, and more than 4 million acres of crops and orchards, as well
as livestock, drowned or were damaged. This was followed by a surge in malaria
cases as mosquitoes bred in the stagnant water.
Pakistan contributes only about 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions
driving climate change. But greenhouse gases don’t stay within national borders
– emissions anywhere affect the global climate. A warming climate intensifies
rainfall, and studies suggest climate change may have increased Pakistan’s
rainfall intensity by as much as 50%.
The question of payments for loss and damage has been a long-standing point of
negotiation at United Nations climate conferences, held nearly every year since
1995, but there has been little progress toward including a financial mechanism
for loss and damage in international climate agreements.
Many developing countries are looking to this year’s conference, COP27, as a
crucial moment for making progress on establishing that formal mechanism."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
"You may be hearing the phrase “loss and damage” in the coming weeks as
government leaders meet in Egypt for the 2022 U.N. Climate Change Conference.
It refers to the costs, both economic and physical, that developing countries
are facing from climate change impacts. Many of the world’s most
climate-vulnerable countries have done little to cause climate change, yet they
are experiencing extreme heat waves, floods and other climate-related
disasters. They want wealthier nations – historically the biggest sources of
greenhouse gas emissions – to pay for the harm.
A powerful example is Pakistan, where extreme rainfall on the heels of a
glacier-melting heat wave flooded nearly one-third of the country in the summer
of 2022.
The flooding turned Pakistan’s farm fields into miles-wide lakes that stranded
communities for weeks. More than 1,700 people died, millions lost their homes
and livelihoods, and more than 4 million acres of crops and orchards, as well
as livestock, drowned or were damaged. This was followed by a surge in malaria
cases as mosquitoes bred in the stagnant water.
Pakistan contributes only about 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions
driving climate change. But greenhouse gases don’t stay within national borders
– emissions anywhere affect the global climate. A warming climate intensifies
rainfall, and studies suggest climate change may have increased Pakistan’s
rainfall intensity by as much as 50%.
The question of payments for loss and damage has been a long-standing point of
negotiation at United Nations climate conferences, held nearly every year since
1995, but there has been little progress toward including a financial mechanism
for loss and damage in international climate agreements.
Many developing countries are looking to this year’s conference, COP27, as a
crucial moment for making progress on establishing that formal mechanism."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
