At COP28, First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf has announced that C40 Cities will receive £1 million from Scotland’s Climate Justice Fund to focus efforts on tackling loss and damage in marginalised communities.
The Scottish Government will work with C40 through our Inclusive Climate Action programmes to address urban loss and damage, support sub-Saharan Africa’s first local Just Transition process, and address losses and damages faced by climate migrant communities.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Our world-first Climate Justice Fund will continue to focus on communities most affected by climate change, and in order to deliver for those who need it most we must ensure the views and needs of those typically marginalised in such communities – particularly urban voices from the Global South and youth perspectives – are heard.
“This funding for the Inclusive Climate Action programme will support cities in the Global South to deliver local inclusive climate action, build resilience for residents, pilot city-led approaches to loss and damage and build cities’ influence in global policy debates.
“While of immense importance, we cannot just provide funding to deal with the effects of climate-induced loss and damage alone.
“Devolved governments have a crucial and essential role to play in addressing loss and damage and the global journey to net zero – responsibility for over half of the emissions cuts needed at a global level lie with devolved state and regional governments. The C40 Cities programme aligns with our Climate Justice principles, and will provide cities with support that builds resilience and can be scaled up to meet community need.”
Mayor of Freetown and C40 Co-Chair, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, said: “The climate crisis is a global issue which causes local pain and consequences across generations. Loss and damage is fundamentally an issue of climate justice, as those who have contributed the least to climate breakdown are the ones who most bear the brunt of its chaos. This is true between countries and regions, but also between generations and gender, as well as within our cities, where the most vulnerable are the most severely affected. I thank the Scottish Government for its leadership in climate justice and support to C40. This funding will support cities in the Global South to deliver for their residents through local inclusive climate action, building resilience and piloting innovative city-led approaches to loss and damage.”
C40 has also launched a first-of-its-kind report on urban loss and damage and city-led responses. Made possible by the Climate Justice Fund, the report identifies key areas where local governments can play a role, as well as recommendations for national and international actors to better support, involve and work with cities and mayors at the forefront of these challenges.