‘JOHN KERRY IS SCARED OF FLOODGATES OF LITIGATIONS ON ACCEPTING LOSS AND DAMAGE’

Loss and damage financing has seen little progress since the signing of the 2015 Paris Agreement,according to FARHANA YAMIN, adviser to the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a partnership of 55 countries highly threatened by climate change. In an interview with AVANTIKA GOSWAMI, Yamin, who was also one of the key architects of the Paris deal, explains why rich countries are attempting to linger negotiations on loss and damage. Excerpts:

- AVANTIKA GOSWAMI

On loss and damage estimation and necessary legal frameworks

Science is more confident now to attribute the likelihood of certain extreme weather events being more ferocious or more frequent to humaninduced climate change. There has been very little progress on the funding of loss and damage since the Paris Agreement which made a historic breakthrough to provide support for developing countries on this. As someone who was involved in the Paris Agreement negotiations, I think it’s much more helpful if we move forward on this. Rich countries want to linger negotiations forever citing legal litigation, liability and compensation that would emerge from the recognition of loss and damage due to climate change. They fear the “floodgates of litigation”. Finally, I do think that there should be an acknowledgement, a declaration for historic wrongdoing by the rich countries. I think that there can be no healing and no reconciliation without it.