Loss and damage is not enough: why we need climate reparations

The statement by Global Witness advocates for climate reparations to address historical injustices and the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income countries. It distinguishes climate reparations, which include liability for past harm, from 'loss and damage' compensation, which focuses on current unavoidable impacts. The text highlights the vulnerability of 3.6 billion people and the debt burden on countries like Mozambique, urging COP27 negotiators to establish a transparent fund financed by heavy polluters and to provide grants and debt forgiveness instead of loans.

• Climate reparations differ from loss and damage compensation because reparations include accountability and liability for past harm caused by the largest emitters and private corporations, whereas loss and damage compensation excludes liability and only addresses current unavoidable climate impacts.
• Approximately 3.6 billion people, or 45% of the global population, live in areas of high vulnerability to climate change, with the most severe impacts occurring in regions with the lowest per capita carbon emissions, including west, central and east Africa, south Asia, Central and South America, small island developing states and the Arctic.
• Low-income countries face a financial crisis where they spend five times more on external debt payments than on climate adaptation budgets, often taking loans to rebuild after disasters; for instance, Mozambique took a $118 million IMF loan after 2019 cyclones despite having significantly lower per capita emissions than the US.
• The document calls for COP27 to establish a transparent fund for loss and damage financed by the heaviest polluting nations and to provide financial assistance through grants and debt forgiveness rather than loans.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Loss and damage is not enough: why we need climate reparations. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loss-and-damage-is-not-enough-why-we-need-climate-reparations/

Chicago

Global Witness. Loss and damage is not enough: why we need climate reparations. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loss-and-damage-is-not-enough-why-we-need-climate-reparations/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=Loss and damage is not enough: why we need climate reparations |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loss-and-damage-is-not-enough-why-we-need-climate-reparations/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitnessndloss, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Loss and damage is not enough: why we need climate reparations}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loss-and-damage-is-not-enough-why-we-need-climate-reparations/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }