Hurricane Beryl shows urgent need for rapid loss and damage funding says Christian Aid

Responding to the hurricane causing death and devastation in the Caribbean, Christian Aid’s Chief of UK Advocacy, Sophie Powell, says it reveals why loss and damage finance needs to be a priority.

She said: “It’s heartbreaking to see the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl and it shows the human toll of the climate crisis caused by the carbon pollution of the global north. The people picking through the wreckage of such a devastating storm have done nothing to cause the climate crisis. The carbon emissions of these small, low-lying islands are miniscule yet the consequences to their lives of climate breakdown are vast”.

See also: Record-breaking Hurricane Beryl threatens Caribbean

These are the people who desperately need loss and damage finance to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods. People cannot simply adapt to a category 5 hurricane destroying their homes or killing their families. These are losses that need to be compensated and it’s why getting more finance into the Loss and Damage Fund needs to be a major priority.

“In terms of hurricane season, this is the earliest category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic we’ve ever seen. Global emissions continue to rise and the impacts of extreme weather will only get worse. The Loss and Damage Fund needs to see much more money going in and it needs to ensure those funds go out rapidly to people that need it urgently.”