US Climate Envoy John Kerry in Oslo, Norway on May 6, 2022 (NTB / Ørn E. Borgen)
The US “fully supports” the disproportionate damage suffered by poor countries as a result of climate change under discussion at COP27, which opens in less than two weeks, the US said Wednesday by US climate envoy John Kerry. .
The most vulnerable countries, which are at the same time the least responsible for global warming, are asking for specific funding to compensate for the “loss and damage” caused by the climate crisis. This theme promises to be one of the key points of discussion at the 27th United Nations climate conference, which will take place from 6 to 18 November in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
“We need to take it to the next level and have a real dialogue about how the world will deal with loss and damage,” John Kerry said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“We are ready to discuss in Sharm el-Sheikh all ways we can try to be fair and join the world’s efforts to help address the concerns of many countries,” he said. “So we are fully in favor of dealing with loss and damage in the context of UN trials.”
This issue is mentioned in the Paris climate agreement, but developed countries, which have built their wealth on fossil fuels, resist being treated as such.
“I hope this is the year that everyone is somehow on the same line, recognizing that there are particular inequalities, which require special attention,” said John Kerry.
He recalled that Africa accounts for only 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, although 17 of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis are on this continent.
Washington will make “announcements at COP27 about (its) support for Africa in terms of adaptation” in the face of climate change, it said Wednesday.
Furthermore, “we need to find new mechanisms to free up funding … to help countries make their transition” to clean energy, he said.
Washington will work at COP27 “to develop multilateral guidelines for banks to make more money available for lending,” he said.
