What is loss and damage and how does it apply to water?

A year after COP27, we explain what loss and damage is, how it relates to water, what a Loss and Damage Fund would do, and what progress has been made. Written by Luisa Chantler Edmond, Princeton in Asia fellow

Calls for climate reparations have gained momentum over the last few years and more concretely on the agenda of last year’s climate negotiations. In 2022, COP27 delegates reached a historic agreement on loss and damage funding, generally seen as a significant step in the right direction to assist climate-vulnerable nations. A year on, the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund will be one of the main focal points of discussions at this year’s COP28 in Dubai.