COP19: NGOs call for loss and damage mechanism on climate action

Three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have unveiled a new report at the climate negotiations in Warsaw, calling for the establishment of the ‘loss and damage’ system discussed in Doha last year, that would make developed countries act faster on the adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

WWF, ActionAid and CARE have presented the report, Tackling Climate Reality, to delegates meeting at the talks in Poland.

Sven Harmeling, climate change advocacy coordinator of CARE International, said that the recent disaster in the Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan was a clear sign of crisis.

“The lack of serious attention to both mitigation and adaptation is pushing the world into the third era of climate governance, where the two pillars of adaptation and mitigation are no longer sufficient to respond to the challenge of climate change”,  he added.

The three NGOs suggested the creation of institutional bodies to deal with the ‘unprecedented’ effects of climate change. They call on developed nations to increase mitigation ambitions and help other countries in the adaptation process.

Harjeet Singh, international co-ordinator of disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation of ActionAid, said, “We need to establish the international mechanism here in Warsaw to deal with the unprecedented challenges we are facing.

“The mechanism is not just about providing finance to recover from climate change impacts that cannot be adapted to. It is also about generating knowledge and finding new ways to deal with non-economic losses such as loss of biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, human mobility, cultural heritage, ancestral burial sites, and so on.”

Meanwhile Sandeep Chamling Rai, WWF’s senior adviser for adaptation policy, added, “Those who are the most responsible must take the lead role instead of behaving as if we had decades to act. We don’t have any time to lose.” 

Further reading:

Typhoon Haiyan will slow down Philippines economy, says finance minister

Climate extremes will enhance poverty in vulnerable areas

COP19: rich countries ‘have a moral responsibility’ to disaster-struck developing nations

Climate change will devastate developing world, says World Bank

Philippines climate delegate: ‘we cannot manage on our own’