Loss and Damage Fund Offers A Lifeline

It was a bright and breezy Monday morning in September at WuroChekke - an agirculturalcommunity in the north-east of Nigeria—when Jamila Muhammed, draped in a navyblue hijab, told us how she had lost all her crops due to the recent floods that have swept across the region. As a result, she and her four children are now struggling to survive and she is dreading the oncoming dry season.  

 »We never expected the flood this year. Just like last year, it destroyed all our rice fields and inundatedour houses,« Muhammed said, pointing towards her submerged farm. »I’ve lost all my crops, I couldn’t get a cup of grain from my farm, the government should kindly help us,« she added.  

 Muhammed is not alone. The lingering effects of the flood disaster that submerged expansive farmlands in the first weeks of August and September haunt millions of farmers across Nigeria. During a visit to affected farmers in Adamawa state, they told me how their farms and incomes had been destroyed by overflowing water around the »BakinKogi« (river bank) communities covering the Yola South, Fufore and Girei local government areas.  

 »I lived off the proceeds of my farm. I used to cultivate maize, rice and sorghum, but the flood took over my farm and I could not harvest even a single grain,« Sunday Sa’adu, another farmer of the WuroChekke community affected by the flood, recounted.Sa’adu lamented that the overflowing water resulting from persistent rainfall prevented him from accessing his farm. This has exposed him and his family to untold hardship. 

While this has become an annual struggle for farmers in Nigeria, the hope of mitigating the occurrence and getting support from the government remains vague for most farmers in climate frontline communities across Nigeria.
 

Lingering loss and damages in Nigeria  

During last year’s wet season, between August and October 2022, Nigeria witnessed one of its worst floods in a decade. Health authorities reported over 600 deaths during this period, and more than 1.4 million displaced. While far fewer people perished in this year’s floods, the back-to-back impacts bring new challenges for farmers, who have barely recovered from the last extreme weather event. Agricultural communities farming major staples such as rice, maize and cowpea were the worst hit, and the impact on local food security will be significant. The government declared a state of emergency on food insecurity amid perceived shortages and skyrocketing inflation. 
 
However, experts also argue that many of these impacts could have been mitigated, if the necessary infrastructures needed to control floods had been properly maintained by the government.A recent report projected a potential $460 billion loss by 2050 for Nigeria without adequate adaptation and mitigation.
 

Nigeria’s target at COP28 

As world leaders and climate activists convene in Dubai, SalisuDahiru, the Director General of Nigeria's Climate Change Council, underscores the importance of the loss and damage fund in supporting climate-vulnerable nations, including Nigeria—a commitment aligned with the overarching principle of »leaving no one behind«.Their high hopes of operationalising the climate fund were met with a significant victory as the landmark deal was reached during the first day of the summit—prompting high-income countries to announce substantial pledges in solidarity with the new funds, earmarked for promoting climate-resilient development across vulnerable nations, particularly in Africa. 

In the firstthree days of COP28, pledges to support loss and damage have surpassed $560 million, signaling a promising start towards addressing the urgent needs of climate-vulnerable regions worldwide.Mohamed Adow, Director of energy think tank Power Shift Africa, welcomed the establishment of the fund but criticisedthe initial funding pledges as »inadequate«, describing them as a mere »drop in the ocean« compared to the scale of the challenges they are meant to address.  
 
»In particular, the level announced by the US is embarrassing for President Biden and John Kerry. It shows how this must just be the start,« he added.While the loss and damage text was officially adopted on 30 November, the journey will not be complete until the conference concludes on 12 December. The heartbreaking toll of flooding and extreme weather events on communities in Nigeria and across Africa, often pushing vulnerable individuals to desperate measures, underscores the urgency.  
 
Operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund is seen as a beacon of hope. It offers a lifeline for climate-vulnerable nations, enabling the creation of resilient infrastructure that can shield individuals like Muhammad and Sa’ad from the devastating impacts of climate change.