Will countries hit by climate change finally get payouts at COP27? | Rethinking Humanitarianism

For the first time in the COP summits’ nearly 30-year history, a call for climate reparations championed by the world’s most vulnerable nations has made it onto the official agenda. 

It’s formally called loss and damage, and it entails payouts from developed countries (who have profited the most from burning fossil fuels) to developing countries (who are suffering the worst from the impacts of climate change). 

Will this notion be accepted by rich countries? Or will political realities and developed countries’ reticence water down the original vision of loss and damage?

As COP27 unfolds in Egypt, host Heba Aly unpacks the prospects for loss and damage financing, as well as other avenues to improve global governance of climate financing for the most vulnerable – from debt restructuring to climate claims at the International Court of Justice. 

Hear from The New Humanitarian’s policy editor, Irwin Loy, and our Latin America editor-at-large, Paula Dupraz-Dobias, reporting from COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh.

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If you’ve got thoughts on this episode, write to us or send us a voice note at podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org. 

SHOW NOTES

• Loss and damage: Views from the ground at COP27
• A humanitarian lens on COP27: Loss and damage, debt relief, and climate justice
• Q&A: Behind the push to bring the climate crisis to court
• Oh FFS: A guide to climate change acronyms
• The Barbadian Proposal Turning Heads at COP27 | Foreign Policy
• Climate disaster aid scheme ‘Global Shield’ launched at COP27 | The Guardian