We are seeing the impacts of climate breakdown like never before. Heatwaves gripping Northern Europe causing ravaging wildfires in Italy, Greece, Spain, and in the U.K; fatal flash-floods in Pakistan, China, and Iran; catastrophic drought in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

We must go above and beyond to avert further climate breakdown and adapt to its impacts. But there are some impacts that cannot be adapted to. Whether it is a cyclone flattening a whole city, as happened to Beira, Mozambique in 2019; or islands losing more territory and freshwater to the waves each year – the fate of the Solomon Islands, among others – it is clear that international support is needed to address climate-related loss and damage.

Burning fossil fuels is by far the biggest cause of this destruction. It’s high time the countries and the corporations responsible for burning all that coal, oil, and gas picked up the bill. But so far, there is still no international fund for loss and damage.

The upcoming COP27 this year is an opportunity to make progress on establishing this fund. Governments need to work together to find new sources of finance, like an international tax on fossil fuel extraction. This must be a separate funding stream, not taken from existing aid budgets or climate finance pledges.

Loss and damage finance is a life-or-death priority for least developed countries in the United Nations climate talks. This COP's success hinges on the creation of a new finance window.

Not only do we have a moral duty to act, but we have a historical responsibility too. Trust in the COP negotiation process has been badly damaged by lack of action from the richest countries, but the UK still holds its Presidency from COP26 and therefore has an opportunity to help rebuild this trust and leave a truly positive legacy.

We call on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to show global leadership by declaring UK support for an international loss and damage fund to compensate communities hit by climate disasters at the earliest possible time.