Compensating Loss and Damage
As the world is struggling to keep global warming at bay, the issue of who pays for the fallout of climate change is one of the major sticking points in negotiations at the UN climate conference in Glasgow.
Poorer countries hit hardest by climate change want compensations for loss and damage to be included in climate finance talks. The term Loss and damage can refer to permanent loss, or damage that can be repaired – either from extreme weather events like storms or from slow-onset events like sea level rise and desertification. Scientist are clear about the role of climate change in causing these disasters – and about the fact that it’s the wealthy nations that have caused global warming. That’s why representatives from hard-hit areas are demanding compensation for harms they can now directly link to wealthy countries’ emissions.
However, this kind of compensation comes with a hefty price tag.
Lesotho's water challenges
In Lesotho, a tiny landlocked country in Southern Africa, water is a crucial issues. Though its one the poorest countries in the world, Lesotho plays a vital role for its richer and bigger neighbor, South Africa. It’s located in the mountains, and several important rivers rise from here – a lifeline for the entire region. In recent decades, huge dams were built that are pumping water to South Africa.
Without the imported water, South Africa’s economic center around Johannesburg would be left high and dry. So it sounds like a win-win: South Africa pays millions in water fees to its neighbor every year and Lesotho generates electricity from hydropower.
But for locals, the project is controversial, and ecologists are raising the alarm as well.
This report is part of the Riffreporter project Countdown Natur with support by the European Journalism Center.