What is loss and damage?

‘Loss and damage’ is the term used for climate impacts which cannot be or haven’t been prevented or avoided through reducing emissions or adapting to climate change. The ‘loss’ refers to things that are irreversibly lost such as lives, a way of living or historical site, while the ‘damage’ refers to things that can be repaired or recovered such as homes, roads or crop yields.

How can we prevent and avoid loss and damage impacts from climate change?

We must urgently increase our ambition and action to reduce carbon emissions to prevent climate change impacts becoming even more severe. Oxfam is calling for the Australian government to set a new target of 75% emission reductions by 2030 and net zero by 2035 in line with what science says needs to be done to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Wealthy countries like Australia must also financially support communities in developing countries to adapt to climate change that is already occurring. This might mean planting more drought resistant crops, relocating homes and gardens vulnerable to sea level rise, and finding new and secure water sources. These actions can help avoid loss and damage impacts.

What is the Loss and Damage Fund?

At the UNFCC COP 27 meeting in 2022, countries agreed to establish a Loss and Damage Fund for countries most adversely impacted by the climate crisis.

This Fund is currently being designed, and Oxfam is calling for it to ensure local communities most impacted by climate change can access the support needed to recover from extreme weather – such as clean water during a drought, or funds to help rebuild after homes are destroyed by floods. We are also calling for the fund to support relocation of communities impacted by sea level rise.

Who are the polluters that should pay?

The money must be raised from those within Australia and other wealthy nations who are historically responsible for the climate crisis through their high emissions. Within Australia, the tax should be applied to those who are most responsible for the problem and who can afford to fix it – the fossil fuel companies making billions in profits and the richest 1% of people (who Oxfam research shows are most responsible for the climate crisis).

Why must our Government act?

It’s the Government’s responsibility to raise the money from Australia’s biggest polluters for the Loss and Damage Fund and for climate finance for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. They can do this by redirecting the subsidies that are going into polluters’ pockets and by taxing them properly.

How will this make a difference?

As well as helping communities avoid and recover from extreme weather events and continue their work developing solutions for the challenges they’re facing – it sends a signal to big polluters that they must take responsibility for their actions. Moving us closer to climate justice for all.

Who is most affected by the climate crisis?

Climate change is being felt most by people in countries that have done the least to cause the crisis. According to climate scientists, over 3.3 billion people live in places highly vulnerable to climate change and these are often low-income countries with many people living in poverty.

Inequality and discrimination mean that this injustice is often felt more deeply as a result of race, gender, sexuality, disability, income or all of these combined.

What are your sources for the statistics you’ve shared?”

• 91% of the world’s population are breathing in polluted air every day. Source: Lai, O (2021), 10 Facts About Air Pollution That’ll Take Your Breath Away, Earth.Org.  
  
  
• Climate change is driving Australia’s 800% boom in bushfires. Source: CSIRO (2022), New research links Australia's forest fires to climate change, CSIRO.org.
  
  
• A billionaire emits a million times more greenhouse gases than the average person. Source: Oxfam (2022), Report 'Carbon Billionaires: The investment emissions of the world’s richest people'.
  
  
• The world's richest 1% cause double the CO2 emissions of poorest 50%. Source: Oxfam (2022), Report 'Carbon Billionaires: The investment emissions of the world’s richest people'.