Prioritise loss and damage grants to communities

A proposal by the UN Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) suggests prioritising governments in their disbursement of money to reduce risks and respond to climate induced loss and damage. Loss and damage happens when adaptation limits to climate change are exceeded, especially in times of extreme weather such as floods and prolonged drought.

The Loss and Damage Fund was established in 2022, at the COP27 climate talks, after decades of push and pull following developed nations' efforts to thwart it. It was later operationalised. As the special committee on the fund meets in Barbados next week, it has indicated that in its first disbursement, it will prioritise governments' support over direct aid to communities most at risk of climate disasters.