Climate Change Resilience
4 December, 2015, Paris, France, COP21 - It's here amongst over 190 parties to the UN Climate Conference in Paris that the small island of Tuvalu has completed its first year in the role as co-Chair of the Executive Committee on the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage with the United States.
The Executive Committee was established during the 19th UN Climate Convention in Warsaw, Poland to address loss and damage associated with impacts of climate change. This includes both extreme and, slow onset events in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse affects of climate change.
For Tuvalu the issue of Loss and Damage is crucial.
"I can't stress any more as to just how important it is, Tuvalu is a low lying corral atoll and it is also a least developed country, we don't have the capacity to rehabilitate," said Ms. Latasi.
"The Tropical Cyclone Pam that hit us in March this year caused so much damage and we are still trying to look for the finance to rehabilitate and rebuild what has been damaged, not counting what has been lost."
The Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and damage came with the decision to develop an initial two year work plan to start the work. This includes looking at risk assessments and the information that is available, this work plan will be reviewed at the end of 2016 and it's then that the next steps for the WIM can be decided.
However, here at the Paris negotiations, the challenge is on for the Pacific islands to ensure that an international mechanism on Loss and Damage in enshrined in the new climate change agreement to be finalised at the end of the two week UN Climate Conference.
The 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opened on 30 November and ends on 11 December with a new global climate agreement to be signed off.
For more information on Loss and Damage please visit: http://unfccc.int/adaptation/workstreams/loss_and_damage/items/8134.php
The Executive Committee was established during the 19th UN Climate Convention in Warsaw, Poland to address loss and damage associated with impacts of climate change. This includes both extreme and, slow onset events in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse affects of climate change.
Ms. Pepetua Latasi, reporting on behalf of the Committee
It was at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris this week that Ms. Pepetua Latasi, a Chief Negotiator for Tuvalu, reported back to the meeting on the progress of the Committee.For Tuvalu the issue of Loss and Damage is crucial.
"I can't stress any more as to just how important it is, Tuvalu is a low lying corral atoll and it is also a least developed country, we don't have the capacity to rehabilitate," said Ms. Latasi.
"The Tropical Cyclone Pam that hit us in March this year caused so much damage and we are still trying to look for the finance to rehabilitate and rebuild what has been damaged, not counting what has been lost."
The Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and damage came with the decision to develop an initial two year work plan to start the work. This includes looking at risk assessments and the information that is available, this work plan will be reviewed at the end of 2016 and it's then that the next steps for the WIM can be decided.
However, here at the Paris negotiations, the challenge is on for the Pacific islands to ensure that an international mechanism on Loss and Damage in enshrined in the new climate change agreement to be finalised at the end of the two week UN Climate Conference.
The 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opened on 30 November and ends on 11 December with a new global climate agreement to be signed off.
For more information on Loss and Damage please visit: http://unfccc.int/adaptation/workstreams/loss_and_damage/items/8134.php