Failed COP27 without loss and damage commitment

Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), in collaboration with African Civil Society Organizations, has demanded that the basic minimum, loss and damage financing agenda be prioritised at the UNFCC COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in order to achieve climate justice in African countries.

In a statement read on Wednesday, 15 June 2022 at the UNFCCC 56th Subsidiary Bodies Intercessional in Bonn, Germany, PACJA Acting Executive Director Charles Mwangi expressed deep concern that developed countries’ Parties are attempting to obstruct negotiations on financing loss and damage in the COP 27 agenda.

“The IPCC expert indicated that excessive death rate from non-optimal temperatures in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to be nearly double the global average. This validates PACJA's assertion that Africa is among the regions which suffer most from climate change impacts, despite, its meagre contribution to global Green House Gases(GHG) emissions of 4%. It informs the clarion call by PACJA for consideration of Africa as a region with special needs and circumstances,” said the statement, in part.

The statement went on to say that the UNFCCC Executive Secretary reiterated the importance of focusing more on the communities most vulnerable to climate change.

Reinhardt Meckler, an IPCC researcher, presented the findings of the 6th IPCC assessment report at the first Glasgow dialogue meeting.

According to Reinhardt, climate change has already caused serious damage to ecosystems and livelihoods at 1.1 degrees Celsius of temperature rise; in fact, nearly half of the world's population is facing the challenge of water scarcity.

The statement mentioned a PACJA conference held in Malawi where women and community members from Malawi, South Africa, and Mozambique shared their life experiences as a result of climate crisis losses and damage and how their lives were affected.

Eluby Nota of Malawi brought the room to a halt as she told the story of how she lost relatives, property, and livelihoods; participants were moved to tears as she described her despair, hopelessness, and exhaustion.

The CSOs also call for action-oriented loss and damage negotiations to avoid economic and non-economic consequences of loss and damage, as set by the Scottish government at COP27, and to consider the role and capacity of civil society organisations in loss and damage response.

PACJA is a consortium of over 1000 organisations from 48 African countries that brings together a diverse membership comprised of grassroots, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, non-governmental organisations, trusts, foundations, indigenous communities, farmers, and pastoralist groups with a shared vision to advance a people-centred, right-based, just, and inclusive approach to addressing climate and environmental challenges confronting humanity and the planet.