BAKU, Tuesday 19 November 2024 — In response to Minister Chris Bowen’s announcement from COP29 today that Australia will contribute AUD$50m to the Loss and Damage Finance Facility, the following quotes can be attributed to Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific:
“Greenpeace welcomes Minister Bowen’s announcement today that Australia will pledge $50m to the Loss and Damage Finance Facility — a critical pillar of a new climate finance package and a key ask of the Small Island Developing States, including the Pacific.
“This is a significant commitment. Civil society in Australia and the Pacific have been pushing for this for some time and it’s encouraging the Australian government has genuinely listened and responded to Pacific needs.
“Building on this, we ask the Australian government to accelerate its ambition. As the world’s third largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia makes an outsized contribution to the climate crisis and has a responsibility to pay for the loss and damage it has caused.
“It is crucial that any commitments to the Loss and Damage fund are not one-off pledges but ongoing commitments enshrined in the new finance package, and scaled to reflect the accelerating climate destruction we’re seeing unfold around the world.
“Pacific nations and small island states in particular are bearing the brunt of climate catastrophe, from rising seas to food and water insecurity, extreme weather disasters, and the erosion of their unique cultures and way of life.
“As we enter the final days of negotiations in Baku, we urge Minister Bowen to stand with Pacific nations and deliver a new finance deal that includes Loss and Damage as the critical third pillar, to ensure countries are legally obligated to ‘fill the pot’.
—ENDS—
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