Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have called for more climate action and for support to address damage caused by climate change.
Chairperson of the LDC Group Sonam P. Wangdi made the remarks in a statement on Friday ahead of the 25th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (‘COP25’) to be held from 2-13 December in Madrid, Spain.
Wangdi noted that Madrid will host a review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (WIM) which he said has not been effective in supporting and addressing loss and damage caused by climate change.
He said. “Our countries are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts that cause loss and damage. We need support in addressing these impacts – loss of lives, destruction of infrastructure, wiping out of crops, displacement – to protect our communities and people from further suffering. The WIM must enhance action and support to address loss and damage in developing countries.”
He also called on countries to urgently scale up their climate action saying people in developing countries are suffering and will increasingly suffer yet emissions continue to rise.
Wangdi noted that COP25 represents the last international moment before countries are due to submit their enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the first Paris Agreement implementation cycle.
He then urged countries to submit new or updated NDCs with ambitious emissions reductions plans and commitments that reflect their fair share of the global effort.
“We are also calling for COP25 to reflect this in a formal decision, solidifying 2020 as the year of increased ambition,” he said.
The LDC Group is made up of the 47 Least Developed countries, which disproportionately suffer from the ever-increasing impacts of climate change despite contributing the least to global warming. Representing over one billion people throughout Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Caribbean, the group negotiates as a bloc in the UN climate negotiations to secure a fair and ambitious global response to climate change.
