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

The authors contend that the climate crisis is a human rights crisis, citing the 2022 Pakistan floods as an example where the right to life, housing, food, education, and health were severely impacted. They argue that wealthy industrialized nations and corporate actors bear the primary responsibility for these harms but have neglected the duty to provide effective remedy. The document calls for COP27 to establish a needs- and rights-centered Loss and Damage Finance Facility and to operationalize the Warsaw International Mechanism and Santiago Network in a rights-compliant manner.

• Climate-related loss and damage constitutes a human rights crisis, as evidenced by the floods in Pakistan which caused over 1,500 deaths, damaged or destroyed more than 2 million homes, swept away 65% of main food crops, and damaged 23,900 schools and 1,460 health facilities.
• The financial burden of climate disasters falls disproportionately on the Global South, with flood-related damage in Pakistan estimated at USD 40 billion, which hinders the fulfillment of economic, social, and cultural rights.
• Wealthy industrialized countries and powerful corporate actors hold the primary historical and present responsibility for the climate crisis, yet the most marginalized groups, including Indigenous Peoples and those in the Global South, suffer the most severe impacts.
• To address loss and damage at COP27, the authors recommend the creation of a Loss and Damage Finance Facility that is public, grant-based, gender-responsive, and needs- and rights-centered.
• The document calls for the rights-compliant operationalization of the Warsaw International Mechanism and the Santiago Network, as well as the integration of human rights into the Global Stocktake, the Gender Action Plan, and the post-2025 climate finance goal (New Collective Quantified Goal).

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} }