The start of the United Nations climate change summit, Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27), was delayed by hours as delegates discussed whether to put "loss and damage" on the agenda for the two-week summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
The summit was scheduled to start at 10 am on Sunday, but it was delayed as delegates tussled over what should be included in the agenda from 3 pm on Saturday to 1 am on Sunday. Discussions were finally completed on Sunday morning. Delegates from nearly 200 countries kicked off the UN climate change summit with the inclusion of 'loss and damage' finance in the official agenda.
However, the delay irked some experts who believe it might indicate a fractious conference in the making. "This is going to be a difficult COP,” The Guardian quoted one negotiator as saying.
What does 'loss and damage' mean?
The term 'Loss and damage' funding refers to a mechanism to support areas and communities that have already been severely affected by climatic impact. For long, developing and vulnerable countries, including India, have been demanding reparations for mounting damages linked to global warming. They have been seeking financing or a new fund for addressing issues such as relocating people displaced by floods. The topic was also raised in last year's 26th Conference of Parties in Glasgow. However, developed nations have blocked official discussions on loss and damage, as they are biggest emitters of greenhouse gases and are likely to be pushed to make bulk of the payment.
"Rich countries, historically responsible for the climate crisis, have bullied poorer nations to protect polluters from paying up for climate damages, while disregarding the concerns of vulnerable people and countries," The Quint quoted Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International, as saying.
This is the first time that the controversial topic was placed on the agenda since climate talks began decades ago.
India hopeful
India is hoping that inclusion of ‘loss and damage’ finance in the COP27 agenda would lead to fair negotiations on it.
Welcoming the move to adopt the item on the agenda, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said, “India will be engaging constructively and actively on the subject during the course of discussions at COP27”, PTI reported.
