COPENHAGEN: It may seem like a drop in the ocean, but the us$13 million Denmark has earmarked as aid for climate change-related"loss and damages" set an important precedent.Danish Development Cooperation Minister Flemming Moller told the UN General Assembly last month the money was for"climate adaptation and concrete activities to avert, minimise and address climate-induced loss and damage".
Only Scotland and Belgium's Walloon government have made such commitments previously, she added - and on a modest scale. "In comparison to the needs on the ground, the Danish commitment is quite small" given the scale of the problem. Developing nations see this kind of funding as compensation - a form of reparations - above and beyond"adaptation" support to build resilience against future impacts.