On the first day of COP28 there was reached agreement on a loss and damage fund to help countries in the Global South adapt to the effects of climate change. The fund will be placed under the World Bank. Several countries have pledged money to the fund, including Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and the United States.

Nicholas Omonuk is a Ugandan climate activist and a part of the Agape Earth Coalition, a collective of youth climate campaigners from Africa. He was an observer at COP28 where he followed discussions on loss and damage and adaptation.

What does the decision on the loss and damage fund mean for the Global South and Uganda?

The loss and damage fund is very important to countries in the Global South, but what we have seen so far is pledges in millions and the fund has to be in the billions. The reason the loss and damage fund is so important is due to how climate change affects us in the Global South. I can personally talk about what is happening in Uganda. In Uganda over the past years and months we have experienced a lot of floods and severe droughts. In my community, the Iteso tribe in Pallisa, we are mainly pastoralists and farmers. We depend on our animals and farms for a living. The severe droughts prevent us from getting enough water, both for our animals and for ourselves. The climate crisis is denying us the right to safe food and enough water.

Parents in Uganda mainly depend on selling animals and food for a living. Due to climate change it has been difficult to earn enough money. This impacts their possibility for paying for their children's education, they have to choose who gets to go to school. It is usually the boys who are sent to school and the girls wo must stay home.

We have received a lot of floods in the mountainous areas in Uganda and many people have lost their lives. Money cannot bring back people's lives. So many people are displaced and end up in displacement camps. Climate crisis is affecting us not only in terms of weather, but it also impacts us in cultural, social and economic terms.

What are you hoping fro going forward now that fund has been operationalized?

Now that the fund has been operationalized, I hope we get more than just commitments and pledges, that we get real money in the fund. In billions and not in millions. Millions cannot help what certain people in the Global South are facing, but billions can. People in the Global North have a responsibility to put pressure on their governments. At the climate conferences we see pledges being made, but it is up to those in the Global North to put pressure on their governments so these pledges are put into action and funds are increased.

What demands do you have now that it is decided that the fund will be under the World Bank?

The World Bank has a big role in ensuring this money is given to affected communities in the form of grants and not as loans. There also must be ensured transparency on these funds. So many countries have issues with their governments’ transparency. Most of the time the government in Uganda does not bring the services to the affected communities. The World Bank has to ensure that this money reaches the affected communities

How do you feel COP28 has gone so far?

COP28 started with a victory of the loss and damage fund being operationalized. There were many of us who were skeptical about this as it may be a distraction from the oil lobbying taking place at this years COP. COP28 has had over 2,400 fossil fuel lobbyists, making it seem like a conference for lobbying fossil fuels.

I am disappointed there have not been many discussions on phasing out fossil fuels. We are seeing many companies using COP28 to increase oil sales and open up new oil projects. What will this mean for people in the Global South who cannot adapt to climate change? The issue of adaptation finance is very important when talking about loss and damage. You cannot have loss and damage finance without adaptation finance.

The pledges made after the loss and damage fund was operationalized have been millions of dollars, this is just a small fraction of what is needed. 700 million USD cannot bring back culture and lost food security. It cannot help countries in the Global South to live with these climate disasters.