1. Key outcomes on “Loss and Damage” from the last five COP meetings
• COP26, 2021, Glasgow, United Kingdom• Loss and damage received major global attention during negotiations.• The Glasgow Dialogue was created to discuss funding arrangements for countries facing climate related losses.• However, vulnerable countries had requested a dedicated financing facility, which was not established at this COP, leading to criticism from many developing nations.
• COP27, 2022, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt• A major milestone occurred with the agreement to establish the Loss and Damage Fund to support vulnerable developing countries suffering from climate impacts.• A transitional committee was formed to design the structure, governance, and funding arrangements for the new fund.
• COP28, 2023, Dubai, United Arab Emirates• The Loss and Damage Fund was formally operationalized and initial funding pledges were announced.• Early contributions came from countries including the Germany, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.• However, total pledges were relatively small compared to the scale of global climate damage.
• COP29, 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan• Discussions focused on increasing contributions and strengthening governance of the Loss and Damage Fund.• Developing countries emphasized the need for predictable and accessible finance to address climate related disasters.
• COP30, 2025, Belém, Brazil• Negotiations continued on scaling up financial commitments and improving access to the fund for vulnerable countries.• Ongoing debates remained about who should contribute, how funds should be distributed, and how non economic losses such as cultural heritage and biodiversity loss should be addressed.
2. Level of satisfaction with progress on loss and damage
Rating: 3, Neutral
3. Justification for the assessment
Progress on loss and damage over the last five COPs has been historically significant but still insufficient relative to the scale of climate impacts faced by vulnerable nations.
A major achievement was the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27, which many developing countries had demanded for decades. This decision recognized that some climate impacts cannot be avoided through mitigation or adaptation and require financial support for recovery and rebuilding.
However, several limitations remain. First, financial commitments are still very small compared to global needs. According to estimates from the United Nations Environment Programme, developing countries may face climate related losses exceeding USD 300 billion per year by 2030. In contrast, initial pledges announced at COP28 were only a few hundred million dollars.
Second, questions about who should contribute and how the fund should be governed continue to slow implementation. Historically high emitting countries are expected to contribute more, but negotiations around responsibility and fairness remain politically sensitive.
Third, vulnerable countries, including many in Africa such as Ghana, continue to face severe climate impacts including flooding, coastal erosion, and agricultural losses, yet access to climate finance remains complex and limited.
Overall, while the establishment and operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund represent important milestones in global climate justice, the pace of funding, scale of commitments, and implementation mechanisms still fall short of addressing the urgent and growing climate losses experienced by vulnerable nations. For this reason, the progress can be considered mixed, warranting a neutral rating.