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Writer's pictureLucas

Can the UN loss-and-damage fund halt the climate timebomb?

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**Give yourself a role and make use of revelent experience to make the arguments more convincing!


For more background on the deal:


The two-week United Nations COP27 summit in Egypt ended last week with a breakthrough -- the establishment of a loss-and-damage fund supported by developed nations. One that offers compensation for impoverished countries battered by climate change. While many insist it can reverse the climate catastrophe, it is my firm conviction that it cannot and will not.


It is important to note that the focus is glaringly misplaced -- reparations of sorts can only help repair climate-wreaked damage, instead of contributing to preventative measures. As a journalist I have witnessed witnessed first-hand many natural disasters in impoverished countries like the merciless floods in Somalia and Pakistan earlier this year. But even though they now have the backing of the international community, all they can do is rebuild houses, ominously in preparation for another imminent strike by mother nature. As the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." What we direly need is prevention to head off more storms down the road, and reparations only come second. Reparations may be able to help fortify critical infrastructure to prevent grave damage, they do anything but stop the rise in global temperature and prevent climate disasters ahead.


When it comes to morality, developed nations are by no means obliged to support their impoverished counterparts financially by joining the deal. Imagine being a millionaire or even billionaire in a chauffeured car, when you see homeless individuals scavenging food from grimy trash cans and fending for themselves, would you get off and give them 20-dollar notes so that they would not starve to death? Most likely billionaires would not bother because they are not obliged to do that: They possess ample resources to stay alive, they would not get anything in return, and would stinging or deadly consequences follow? Perhaps, but mainly guilt that fades away the moment they sign another lucrative deal. And it goes right back to the deal -- no consequences will follow even if affluent nations never foot the bill. So far there are no signs they will be brought to court or sanctioned for justice's sake. Even if countries like the United States and even China steer their own resources towards improving living environment and reinvigorating declining industries like archaeology and the culinary industry, they will not be credited and "get their just deserts." With no resources for progress in the crusade against climate change, how can the timebomb be stopped and hopefully fixed?


With the misplaced focus and no obligations whatsoever for affluent countries to support their poverty-stricken counterparts, it is evident the loss-and-damage fund cannot halt the climate timebomb.

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