Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, published in February, which concluded that loss and damage from climate change are “not comprehensively assessed” by existing finance mechanisms; and what steps they intend to take in response.

The UK agrees with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that global action to adapt to the changing climate has been insufficient. We recognise how urgent and important it is to ensure countries most vulnerable to climate change can respond to the risks they face, to help avert and minimise loss and damage.

At COP26, the UK strongly supported the establishment of a 'Glasgow Dialogue on Loss and Damage' to discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. The Santiago Network (a platform for catalysing technical assistance on loss and damage for developing countries) was also progressed through agreement on functions and funding. The UK is an active participant in the Glasgow Dialogue and Santiago Network up to COP27 and looking towards COP28.

Information on UK action on adaptation, losses and damages is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-action-to-support-countries-avert-minimise-and-address-the-risk-of-loss-and-damage-from-climate-change-discussion-paper. We intend to update this note following COP27.