It is the first time the two countries have been included on a list of major emitters that the island nation believes must be responsible for the damage already caused by global warming.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne, speaking on behalf of the negotiating bloc of the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), told reporters that the world’s first and third largest emitters of greenhouse gases – although these have always been developing countries – have a responsibility to contribute funds.

Conference delegates agreed to put the topic of loss and damage on the formal agenda for the first time in the history of international climate negotiations.

“We all know that the People’s Republic of China, India — they are big polluters, and polluters have to pay,” Brown said. “I don’t think there is free entry for any country and I’m not saying that sharply.”

In UN climate negotiations, the term “loss and damage” refers to costs that have been incurred as a result of climate or extreme impacts, such as sea level rise.

To date, countries vulnerable to climate change have asked historic emitters such as the US, UK and EU to pay for climate reparations. China itself has supported the creation of a loss and damage fund but has not said it should contribute. The European Union and the US say China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, must pay.

India, despite being a major emitter, has per capita emissions that are much lower than the world average.

AOSIS wants a full commitment to launch a multi-billion dollar fund by 2024.

Egypt’s chief climate negotiator, Mohamed Nasr, told Reuters that the aim of the COP27 negotiations was to gain clarity on the way forward for the losses and damages, but there were still various points of contention.

“Now we have a starting point, so it’s leaner and more focused and hopefully by the end of the two weeks we’ll have something that identifies the roadmap, the milestones,” he said.

Over the coming year, the objective is to identify mechanisms for financing losses and damages.

“We will look at different options. Is it a setup? Is it a new fund? Is it an existing fund? I mean there are a lot of options,” he said. “What we’re hearing from a lot of countries is that they want to keep their options open.”

Another AOSIS negotiator, Deputy Minister of Environment and International Cooperation Milagros De Camps, said that from the perspective of island nations like his which face more frequent and powerful natural disasters such as hurricanes and typhoons, the need for a new special compensation fund is clear.

“We need special funds suitable for the purpose of … a separate operational entity,” he told reporters. “It’s a matter of survival for small island developing countries.”

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