Op-Ed: Loss and Damages Funding to Small Island Developing States
By Tori Flowers
Climate change is a global crisis impacting every corner of the world, from our local Bay Area to nations worldwide. Regions are facing severe effects due to anthropogenic emissions, causing extreme heat, drought, severe weather events, flooding, and forest fires. Among the most harmed are small island developing states (SIDS). Located in remote, climate-vulnerable regions, SIDS bear the brunt of climate change despite contributing minimally to global emissions. These nations have suffered severe social, environmental, and economic losses, permanently affecting their vitality.
On the other hand, high-emitting countries such as the Group of 20 (G20) — the 20 largest economies in the world — face significantly less detriment from climate change. Their economic privilege, geographic locations, socio-political structures, and resources allow them to evade the full devastation resulting from their emissions. Research highlights that the G20 is responsible for 78% of all territorial GHG emissions. Despite this global responsibility, they have significantly fallen short in reducing emissions: G20 countries emit 7.4 to 7.7 tons of CO2 per person annually. To keep below 1.5 °C, they must halve this to 2.9 to 3.8 tons per person by 2030. Failure to meet this reduction will result in increasingly worse disproportionate effects on less developed countries such as SIDS.
Argument
Synthesizing these two issues, the dire impacts of climate change on SIDS despite their low emissions, and the lesser impacts on G20 nations despite their high emissions, it is evident that these issues must be remedied. Small island states should not endure the unjust consequences of the G20’s unsustainable practices. Further, G20 nations should not evade their responsibility to reduce emissions or avoid being held accountable for their detrimental actions. Loss and Damages (L&D) funding offers a feasible solution, holding G20 countries accountable for their emissions while providing financial reparations to lower emitting nations for the unjust burden they face.
My on-the-ground work in the Philippines, bolstering city climate resilience, has given me firsthand knowledge of climate change impacts, allowing me to see and address its tangible effects through diverse stakeholder collaboration. This experience, combined with my research and passion for sustainable development and resilience, has empowered me to advocate for the necessity of L&D funding for vulnerable nations bearing the unjust burden of climate change.
The Need for L&D Funding: Climate Change Impacts on SIDS
Climate change has extreme effects on SIDS described as being “on the frontline of climate change.” Impacts such as sea-level rise, tropical cyclones, marine heatwaves, and ocean acidification are particularly salient in SIDS and projected to intensify. Tropical storms have amplified in magnitude, especially in SIDS where the majority of the population lives in highly vulnerable coastal areas. Rising ocean temperature and acidification have led to significant biodiversity loss and the decline of coral reefs, impacting both marine and human ecosystems. On land, heat waves and drought cause additional harm.
The economies of these countries, relying on tourism, fishing, and agriculture, are significantly impacted by climate change. Due to their small economies, many SIDS lack the capacity to withstand or recover from these disasters. A single large-scale disaster can result in nationally significant damages. The lack of sustainable infrastructure further contributes to the impacts, making it difficult for them to withstand structural hits. With government responses and funding falling short, SIDS often rely primarily on international assistance. Despite being hit hard by climate change while contributing to only 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions, SIDS had access to a mere $1.5 billion out of $100 billion in climate finance pledged to developing countries in 2019.
Loss and Damages Funding
L&D funding provides a novel mechanism to address the unjust climate burdens imposed by G20 countries on smaller developing nations. Loss and damages refer to both monetary and non-monetary losses, including loss of life, culture, or forced migration, resulting from disasters that cannot be mitigated or adapted to. This concept has evolved over decades, culminating in an agreement during COP27 in November 2022. Countries have lost billions of dollars due to anthropogenic climate change, alongside the loss of lives, future economic opportunities, and livelihoods. This fund is essential for future climate resilience and socio-environmental sustainability, particularly in developing countries.
Bringing it All Together
Climate change policy lead Nafkote Dabi connects these issues stating: “Science traces today’s wildfires and droughts, crop failures, flash floods…to excessive greenhouse gas emissions. People living in poverty and in lower-income countries are suffering most. We look to the world’s super-emitters for solutions but find today their numbers simply don’t stack up.” G20 super-emitters are responsible for the extreme climate change impacts witnessed globally. Despite this, they have historically shirked their responsibility to address their impacts through emission reductions or funding support for vulnerable nations.
Therefore, L&D funding is critical to bridging this gap and ensuring higher emitting countries are held accountable. Through UN mandates, G20 countries should be required to contribute to L&D funding for lower-emitting, disaster-stricken countries. Enforcement can provide both negative and positive incentives to ensure countries commit to addressing their climate impacts. High-emitting countries should be required to meet their emissions reduction targets necessary to prevent global temperature rise below 1.5 °C. Failure to meet these targets should result in stringent fines directed to SIDS, and higher emissions should correspond with larger financial contributions to L&D funding.
Finally, this financing pool must include adequate funding to address all the needs of SIDS impacted by disaster, comprehensively accounting for their tangible and intangible losses and rebuilding these communities to ensure their long-term resilience. L&D funding offers hope for distributive justice and reparations for historically marginalized, disproportionately harmed small island communities, providing them with the necessary support from larger emitting countries for their vitality and sustainability.
