Loss and Damage: Today Pakistan, tomorrow your country?

Pakistan is the fifth largest country in the world by population. The country recently suffered from deadly flooding and now faces a widening public-health crisis, with malaria, cholera and other diseases spreading. The floods were caused by heavier than usual monsoon rains and melting glaciers that followed a severe heat wave, all of which are linked to climate change. Recall here our article from last June about Pakistan, titled “In hottest city on Earth, mothers bear brunt of climate change”.

In remarks delivered last Friday to the General Assembly, UN Secretary General António Guterres implored member countries to contribute to Pakistan’s aid. According to him, the people of Pakistan are the victims of a grim calculus of climate injustice. Pakistan is responsible for less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, he said, yet it is paying a supersized price for manmade climate change.  Today, it is Pakistan, he said, but tomorrow, it could be your country and your communities. Climate chaos is knocking on everyone’s door, the Secretary-General said.

Next month at the COP27 in Egypt, “Loss and Damage” is expected to eclipse most other topics on the agenda. Developing nations last year, like always, went to COP26 talks in Glasgow, Scotland, pushing for a formal process for dispatching finance and technical help paid for by developed nations.

Click on the image below to read more about the topic “Loss and Damage”, as part of “The Road to Sharm el-Sheikh: Informal consultations by the COP 26 Presidency and the COP 27 incoming Presidency”, considering the growing urgency, particularly to address the needs of the most vulnerable.