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COP28: Poor countries win 30-year fight for climate cash as Loss and Damage Fund becomes a reality
In a surprise that has lit up COP28, delegates have agreed to launch a long-awaited fund to pay for damage from climate-driven storms and drought.
Such deals are normally sealed last minute after days of negotiations.
COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber shook up the meeting by bringing the decision to the floor on day one.
The EU, UK, US and others immediately announced contributions totalling around $400m for poor countries reeling from the impacts of climate change.
Three decades after the idea was first mooted, the ‘loss and damage’ cash agreement was greeted with sustained applause on the conference floor.
It was seen as a smart move by the UAE, which has been criticised in the run up to the COP, after the BBC reported on Monday that leaked briefing documents revealed plans by the United Arab Emirates to discuss fossil fuel deals with 15 nations.
“It’s a very clever way to open the conference on the part of the UAE,” said Prof Michael Jacobs from the University of Sheffield and an observer at these talks. “They have gotten in the very first session, one of the most important parts of this whole conference agreed, a very contentious part, the United States was not happy just a few weeks ago with the text on this loss and damage fund, and it’s agreed to it today.”
Loss and damage refers to the impacts that many countries suffer from climate-related weather events.
While funding has been provided to help countries adapt to rising temperatures, and to aid their efforts to rein in their emissions, no money has been forthcoming to help with the destruction caused by storms and droughts. The idea of finding cash for these losses was first introduced in the 1990s.
For decades, richer countries fought tooth and nail against the idea of such a fund, wary of having to pay “compensation” for historic carbon emissions.
Last year at COP27 in Egypt, the moral force of the argument won the day and countries agreed to set up a fund. Over the past 12 months countries had argued about the rules, where the fund should be located and who should pay in. A tentative agreement was reached a few weeks before this gathering in Dubai.
Any such deal would normally have to be accepted by all countries in a plenary session, where negotiators can go through the text with a fine-tooth comb, often leading to major arguments. This usually happens at the end of a COP after days and nights of wrangling.
“We have delivered history today,” Jaber told delegates as the motion was passed without a fight. Immediately the UAE made a pledge of $100m as did Germany. The US says it will pay in $17m, providing it can find agreement with Congress. They wanted all countries to know that paying in didn’t mean they accepted that the fund was about reparations for historic emissions.
“We have been working very, very closely with other transitional committee members this entire year in order to design an effective fund that is based on cooperation and does not involve liability or compensation,” said US Special Climate Envoy, John Kerry.
The UK promised £60m to the fund. Campaigners said it was a small step in the right direction. “It is encouraging to see that the UK Government is committed to making the Loss and Damage Fund a reality, but this pledge is simply not enough and crucially, it’s not new money,” said Chiara Liguori, Oxfam’s Senior Climate Justice Policy Advisor.
It’s hoped the deal will provide the momentum for an ambitious wider agreement on action during the summit.
The stakes for that couldn’t be higher: the day began with stark warnings from the UN chief that “we are living through climate collapse in real time”. António Guterres said the news that it’s “virtually certain” 2023 will be the hottest year on record should “send shivers down the spines of world leaders”.
(BBC)
Ireland Women 118/9 in 20 overs (Alana Dalzelle 14, Orla Prendergast 26, Leah Paul 10, Alice Tector 10, Louise Little 26*; Lauren Bell 1-39, Linsey Smith 1-20, Sophie Ecclestone 3-22, Charlie Dean 2-11, Dani Gibson 2-10) lost to England Women 119/6 in 17.3 overs (Dani Wyatt Hodge 16, Nat Sciver-Brunt 48, Heather Knight 26; Aimee Maguire 2-23, Orla Prendergast 2-17) by 4 wickets
Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first hat-trick at a FIFA tournament as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 to open the defence of their global crown, he also became the joint highest scorer at World Cups with the feat.
The former 38-year-old forward thought he had opened the scoring in the eighth minute in Kansas City on Tuesday when he slotted home from close range, but the offside flag was raised.
The dream start to his record-setting appearance, which will be matched by Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against DR Congo on Wednesday, was not to be denied for long though.
A trademark, mazy run was capped by a drive on the edge of the box from that famed left foot. The power too much for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of World Cup winner with France, Zinidine.
Messi doubled his tally on the hour mark with a simple tap in from a rebound off the keeper following a drive from Alexis Mac Allister.
The moment that even a player as decorated as Messi came in the 76th minute when he drilled low past the keeper from just outside the box.
The strike took Messi level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
His substitution came just three minutes later to a standard ovation, even old maestro seemed disappointed to be removed – and most likely rested for Argentina’s tilt at becoming only the third side to defend a World Cup title.
Algeria – the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners – offered little, but were themselves denied an early goal when Fares Chaibi’s ninth minute strike was ruled out for offside.
Messi saw to it that there was no opening game upset to be had tat this edition, having lost their opening game at Qatar 2022 to Saudi Arabia.
Messi, who spent the majority of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before moving to French giants Paris-Saint Germain, plys his trade in US football’s Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
Jordan and Austria open their account in the group later on Tuesday in San Francisco.
[Aljazeera]
United States sprinter Noah Lyles has set the world’s best-ever time over the rarely-run 150 metres race, clocking 14.67 seconds at the Golden Spike meet in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.
The 28-year-old Lyles on Tuesday beat the previous best of 14.72 set by Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in Florida in April.
At Ostrava, Lyles beat Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa with 14.78, while Australian teenager Gout Gout finished third in 14.96.
“Was there ever any doubt? Was there ever any doubt? We came for a show,” an elated Lyles told Czech TV.
Earlier this month, Lyles took a comfortable win at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Rome with a 9.88 in the 100m, his fastest since clinching gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The high-energy, anime-loving showman has had strong indoor and outdoor performances throughout the year so far, and was named on this year’s Time100 list of the most influential people.
Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol had to bow to in-form Swiss Audrey Werro in her outdoor debut in the 800m.
The 26-year-old Broeders-Bol has switched from 400m hurdles, in which she had won two world gold medals, and clocked an impressive 1 minute 57.13 seconds for second place.
“It was so cool, I love racing in Ostrava. It was tough, but I enjoyed it,” she said.
Broeders-Bol has also claimed multiple medals as the anchor leg in 4x400m relay teams, notably a gold in the mixed event in the Paris Olympics.
She ran her first 800m since 2017 in February, clocking a national record of 1 minute 59.07 seconds before withdrawing from the rest of the indoor season to nurse a foot injury.
The 22-year-old Werro won in 1 minute 54.45 seconds, half a second behind her personal best from March, after shedding Broeders-Bol with 200 metres to run.
“It was a really crazy run, but the time is very good, so I’m really happy,” Werro said.
Having set the eighth best time ever, she stayed over a second behind the oldest world record in athletics of 1:53.28 set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova of then-Czechoslovakia, who watched the race from the stands.
South Africa’s 20-year-old Bayanda Walaza won the men’s 100m as he equalled his personal best of 9.94 seconds, beating Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon with 9.99 seconds.
US favourites Ronnie Baker and Jordan Anthony were demoted to the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with times well over 10 seconds.
[Aljazeera]
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