The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 28, in Dubai scored an early win when countries agreed to operationalize a new fund for “loss and damage” due to climate change on the very first day.
But that spirit of cooperation could prove short-lived, as climate activists accuse negotiators from the United States of trying to strip the phrase “loss and damage” from the new fund’s name. They say U.S. negotiators are pushing a more neutral label that does not carry the same suggestion that high-emitting countries have a responsibility to provide funding to address the harms caused by climate change.
For example, speaking in Dubai last week, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry repeatedly referred to a “fund for climate impact response,” rather than using the phrase “loss and damage” — even rewording questions from reporters to reflect the preferred phrasing.