Thanks to you – polluters will now pay

Back in the summer, we asked you, our supporters to use your voice to call for climate justice – and champion a new global fund for Loss and Damage. 

Following COP26 in Glasgow we wanted the UK Government to use its position as outgoing COP Presidency to Make Polluters Pay. 

And so many of you answered this call - 2,015 of you in total. 

Together, we asked the UK Government to 

1. Champion a new global fund for Loss and Damage and commit UK money to this
2. Urge rich nations to pay up too; grants not loans is what is needed
3. Make sure the money is easily available for those who need it most 

On Sunday morning (20 November) we woke up to the news that our hard work was not in vain and COP27 had agreed to create a fund for Loss and Damage. 

Our Advocacy Officer Ben Wilson left Sharm El-Sheik just hours before the historic deal was struck. 

He said:

"Today is a day to celebrate for climate justice campaigners across the world. Since the first UN agreement on climate change more than 30 years ago, the Global South has cried out for climate justice and to ensure that those responsible for this crisis must pay for their pollution.

"With the historic agreement to establish a fund for Loss & Damage, we finally have global recognition that polluters must pay. As always, the devil will be in the detail, and there are more fights to come over precisely what this fund will look like. It’s vital to agree that significant cash is raised fast - in the form of grants not loans - and that money will flow quickly to people living in the world’s poorest places who are already suffering from the climate crisis.

"It’s extremely disappointing that COP27 failed to go beyond commitments in Glasgow on phasing out fossil fuels. The more fossil fuels we burn, the more the planet will warm, and the more people will suffer – it’s as simple as that. We need more and we need it soon. But with the establishment of the Loss & Damage fund, today is a rare occasion to celebrate progress in the fight against climate change, and the fight for global justice.

"A huge thank you goes to our many supporters for helping us champion this cause – it has not been in vain!"

It's time to pay up. The time for action is now.