The "Loss and Damage Fund" to really work

 I signed the first petition I've been interested in - in years! Here it is in a nutshell...

At last year’s COP27, world leaders recognized the urgency of climate change, pledging to establish a Loss and Damage Fund for those least responsible yet most affected by climate disasters. As COP28 approaches from November 30 to December 12, the United States at this pivotal moment, holds significant influence over the future of this fund. With the potential for the World Bank to oversee the fund, there is a risk of perpetuating existing inequities that disadvantage the Global South.

At COP28 it is imperative that the promises made are not empty ones. Communities are watching as their homes disappear into the sea, storms demolish their sacred sites, and saltwater contaminates their freshwater and crops. These are the voices we amplify — voices of Indigenous Peoples and those who shoulder our warming planet’s heaviest burdens, despite contributing the least to the crisis. 

Join us in a critical movement to influence climate policy as we appeal to Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry. We’re campaigning for the United States to lead in establishing and operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund, as promised in previous climate summits. This fund is essential—it’s about providing financial support and recovery resources to the countries and communities most affected by climate change, especially those who have contributed least to the global emissions causing this crisis.

We call on John Kerry to guide the U.S. in supporting a Loss and Damage Fund that is independent and equitable, ensuring that the voices and rights of grassroots communities are not just heard but are the cornerstone of its operations. This fund must represent a break from the past, moving away from donor-dominated structures to one that symbolizes unity and delivers direct, debt-free support. 

This came from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and the information about the petition is Here. 

My take is that the World Bank wouldn't be really looking out for those who have suffered. Remember last year at COP 27 when so many African and Asian delegates came and told of their suffering from Climate Change? This fund was designed to help them and others, and not to line the pockets of politicians.

Indigenous Lives and The Climate Crisis

Here is part of a series of 3 photo blogs from a Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (REDESCA). Soledad García Muñoz visited sites in Alaska and Louisiana with photos in the 3 parts of this series. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee was part of this effort.

Indigenous Lives and The Climate Crisis: A Photo Essay Series 

UUSC works with Native communities in Alaska and Louisiana to call attention to climate change and injustice—on a global scale. by Mike Givens

"Native communities across the United States are helping to lead the global call for a definitive and effective response to climate change. Daily, Indigenous coastal communities—from California to Maine, Alaska to Nevada—live with the life-altering impacts of climate change.

Several communities in Alaska and Louisiana took the initiative to reach out to an international human rights body with an urgent request: Visit their communities and learn firsthand about the climate change impacts they are experiencing—and the injustices they’ve lived through as a result. 

The Organization of American States (OAS) is a 75-year-old institution founded to bring together nations across North, South, and Central Americas to address conflicts and challenges faced by these countries. Twenty-one countries founded OAS in 1948 and the number of member nations has grown to 35. The purpose of OAS is to serve as a diplomatic and political convener for the Americas, navigating conflict, promoting solidarity, and encouraging collaboration.

In the late 1950s, the OAS established the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to serve as a human rights observer and documentarian for the member nations. There are 13 thematic human rights issues that the IACHR covers, from the rights of Indigenous peoples, women, and people in migration to the rights of older persons, people with disabilities, and those defending human rights. 

 

A community meeting in Nunapitchuk, AK with the Special Rapporteur

The Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (REDESCA) was established in 2017 and heard an urgent request from Alaskan and Louisianan Native communities for support in addressing the human rights violations that accompanied the climate crisis. Earlier this year, the Special Rapporteur, Soledad García Muñoz, agreed to visit these communities and document their struggles. In May, she spent a week touring these coastal communities—first Louisiana, then Alaska—to understand what these communities are experiencing. 

On July 24, the Special Rapporteur will hold (HELD) an event in Washington, D.C. to announce its findings and make solid recommendations for the state and federal governments to better support coastal communities in Louisiana and Alaska. Stay tuned for a detailed analysis of the recommendations and the next steps for these Indigenous communities. 

Part 2 Here

Part 3 Here

  In solidarity, Salote Soqo

    Director of Advocacy, Global Displacement
    Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

 The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee advances human rights through grassroots collaborations.