Addressing the climate crisis: Loss and damage – Thu, January 19 2023

Have you ever imagined a small island sinking due to rising sea levels? Global warming has caused sea temperatures to rise and melt polar ice caps. As a result, the volume of seawater increases to eventually submerge land.

Life as we know it, including all living creatures as well as human civilization and culture, will disappear instantly. This is one of the worst possible impacts of climate change.

Climate change has had substantial negative impacts on ecosystems, infrastructure and the health and livelihoods of people around the world. At the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the issue of loss and damage (L&D), such as to ecosystems and infrastructure, is a priority for many vulnerable countries because of the severe climate change impacts they are experiencing. For many small island states, these impacts pose an existential threat.