Sitting in a recent informal consultation, ECO had an unwelcome flashback to Bible classes. The old story of Lot’s wife* looking back and being turned into a pillar of salt.
What inspired this unwelcome flashback? That would be the equally unwelcome assertion that the Review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss & Damage (WIM) should be BACKWARD, not FORWARD looking, and should be constrained to just the work of the Executive Committee (ExCom).
What level of absurdness is that, you ask? Why review a body that has been in existence for six years, that was enshrined in the Paris Agreement (which, last time ECO checked, was a forward-looking agreement), without looking to the level of loss and damage that vulnerable countries will expect?
After six years in existence, it is time to assess whether the WIM is fit for purpose. Given the impacts the IPCC 1.5C report tells us are now on the horizon, this is about more than just the ExCom. This is about the Mechanism as a whole, and whether it has and CAN deliver upon its original mandate, which includes the enhancement of action and support, such as finance.
A Review that simply looks at what has been done, in order to determine if something has been achieved, is virtually a box-ticking exercise. A Review that doesn’t reflect on what’s to come, misses the opportunity to reflect upon the needs of developing countries , and to thus prepare for what those needs are, including planning the types of support that are needed and putting this support in place.
The Review of the WIM must take a forward-looking approach as well, if it is to be of any use.
* Note: we’re sure that Lot’s wife had a name, but it turns out they were not so much into feminism around the time of writing the Bible.