Make Polluters Pay campaign

What is loss and damage?

Loss and damage caused by climate breakdown is a present reality for people around the world, and it is getting worse every year. For people in the global majority, extreme weather events (hurricanes, wildfires, flooding) and slow onset events (rising sea levels, desertification) are destroying lives, livelihoods and biodiversity.

Despite being recognised in the Paris Agreement, there has been slow progress on where money to pay for loss and damage should come from. It's a priority for countries most vulnerable to climate breakdown, and it's fundamental to climate justice. At COP27, after years of advocacy, countries agreed to create a loss and damage fund; now this fund must be filled.

Quaker work on loss and damage is about placing justice and equality at the head of our climate action. Whether you consider it solidarity, compensation, or reparations, we know hundreds of billions a year are needed – and that money must come from those who caused the crisis.

Make Polluters Pay Action Day

Each year in September, those who support action on loss and damage join together for Make Polluters Pay Action Day. The day is a chance to express your support, raise public awareness, and put pressure on the Government to act.

In 2023, Make Polluters Pay Action Day will take place on Saturday 23 September. Check the event page for more details on how you can get involved – whether by joining a local vigil, sharing information on social media, or contacting your MP.

Five actions you can take at any time

• Sign the Make Polluters Pay petition (offsite link) calling on the UK Prime Minister to back a loss and damage fund.
• Hold a discussion with a screening of the five-minute film 'The Global Story of Climate Change Loss and Damage – and Who Should Pay for It' (offsite link) to help people understand what loss and damage is and why it matters. You can use this guide to help you plan a discussion event, online or in person.
• Write to your MP, asking for their backing for UK support for a loss and damage fund paid for by polluters. If you're not sure where to start, this guide (offsite link) explores how to have an effective conversation with your MP.
• Write to your local newspaper – ideally a week or two before 23 September to let them know about Make Polluters Pay Action Day. Try to start with a local angle – for example, is your area affected by flooding, drought or heatwaves? – and connect this to the broader point about the need for polluters to pay for climate-induced loss and damage. If you can relate it to an article which recently appeared in the paper, even better. Keep your letter under 300 words – under 200 if you can.
• Host our photo exhibition!
  To help increase awareness of and understanding about loss and damage, we have been working with the Make Polluters Pay coalition on a 'flatpack' photo exhibition that tells the story of loss and damage through words and photos from around the world. The exhibition will be available from autumn 2023 for community groups across the UK to order and display locally. Go to the   Make Polluters Pay website (offsite link) and subscribe to our Make Polluters Pay mailing list to be the first to hear!

Resources

For the latest information on the Make Polluters Pay campaign, see the coalition website (offsite link).

As part of the interfaith group Make COP Count, we have put together some talking points to help you talk to others about loss and damage.