COP27 must treat loss and damage as the human rights crisis it is

This statement argues that climate-induced loss and damage is a human rights crisis, using the 2022 Pakistan floods as a primary example of systemic rights violations. The authors call on wealthy nations and corporate actors to accept responsibility and urge COP27 to implement rights-based solutions, including a public, grant-based Loss and Damage Finance Facility and the operationalization of the Warsaw International Mechanism and Santiago Network.

• The authors argue that the climate crisis is fundamentally a human rights crisis, where climate-related 'loss and damage' results in wide-ranging human rights harms. They assert that addressing these impacts through a human rights lens is necessary to understand the full scope of community impacts and to identify concrete paths for redress.
• The 2022 floods in Pakistan are cited as a specific example of how climate disasters violate multiple human rights: the right to life (over 1,500 deaths, including 552 children), the right to adequate housing (over 30 million people displaced and more than 2 million homes damaged or destroyed), the right to food (nearly 70% of livestock perished and 65% of main food crops swept away), and the right to education and health (1,460 health facilities and 23,900 schools damaged). The estimated cost of this damage is USD 40 billion.
• The document states that historical and current responsibility for the climate crisis lies with powerful corporate actors and wealthy, highly industrialized countries, while the most severe impacts are felt by those who contributed the least, including Indigenous Peoples, marginalized groups, and those in the Global South.
• The authors call for several concrete, rights-based solutions at COP27, including the establishment of a Loss and Damage Finance Facility that is public, grant-based, gender-responsive, and needs- and rights-centered. They also advocate for the rights-compliant operationalization of the Santiago Network and the Warsaw International Mechanism.

APA

Chowdhury, J., Vandamme, L., & White, H. (2022). COP27 must treat loss and damage as the human rights crisis it is. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/cop27-must-treat-loss-and-damage-as-the-human-rights-crisis-it-is/

Chicago

Chowdhury, Joie, Lien Vandamme, and Heidi White. COP27 must treat loss and damage as the human rights crisis it is. Center for International Environmental Law, 2022. https://www.ciel.org/cop27-must-treat-loss-and-damage-as-the-human-rights-crisis-it-is/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Chowdhury |first1=Joie |last2=Vandamme |first2=Lien |last3=White |first3=Heidi |title=COP27 must treat loss and damage as the human rights crisis it is |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=2 November 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/cop27-must-treat-loss-and-damage-as-the-human-rights-crisis-it-is/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{chowdhury2022cop27, author = {Chowdhury, Joie and Vandamme, Lien and White, Heidi}, title = {{COP27 must treat loss and damage as the human rights crisis it is}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ciel.org/cop27-must-treat-loss-and-damage-as-the-human-rights-crisis-it-is/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }