We’re more powerful when we work together.
That’s why ahead of the UN climate talks in Glasgow in November 2021, Quakers in Britain is teaming up with a group of charities and campaigners under the banner ‘Make Polluters Pay’ to raise the profile of loss and damage caused by climate breakdown.
Quaker work on loss and damage is about placing justice and equality at the head of our climate action. We urgently need a new international fund for loss and damage. Communities who did nothing to contribute to the climate emergency are currently paying the price, while wealthy countries and fossil fuel corporations carry on polluting. It’s high time polluters picked up the bill.
What is loss and damage?
Loss and damage caused by climate breakdown is a present reality for people around the world, and it is getting worse every year. Extreme weather events like Cyclone Idai, which killed more than 1,000 people, left 400,000 homeless and destroyed 700,000 hectares of crops when it struck Mozambique in 2019 demonstrate how the climate emergency is destroying lives, livelihoods and biodiversity for communities in the global majority.
Despite being recognised in the Paris Agreement, there has been no progress on where money to pay for loss and damage should come from. It’s a priority for countries most vulnerable to climate breakdown, and it’s fundamental to climate justice.
Whether you consider it solidarity, compensation, or reparations, we know hundreds of billions a year are needed – and that money must come from those who caused the crisis.
What’s the plan?
Our coalition campaign is currently focusing on two key moments: Loss and Damage Awareness Day on Thursday 23 September 2021 and the UN climate talks COP26 from 31 October–12 November 2021.
We see these moments as just the start of the campaign and our work will continue into 2022.
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