With so much happening at the moment, it’s easy to miss that ministers from all over the world are meeting now to prepare for the global climate summit, COP28. They are starting to make decisions that will affect millions, from addressing fossil fuels to providing funding for countries hit by climate disasters like floods and hurricanes. 

The UK is co-hosting critical debates on climate and development. We must use this opportunity to push them and others to acknowledge that the massive debts weighing down lower income countries are a huge factor in preventing them from dealing with the climate crisis.  

Now is the time to start putting pressure on world leaders to cancel debt for climate justice.  

Despite being least responsible for climate breakdown, it’s lower income countries that are experiencing its harshest and most destructive effects – from heatwaves to hurricanes, floods, droughts and mudslides. It’s a complete injustice. 

Lower income countries urgently need to address the impacts of the climate crisis and switch to a green economy. But many are prevented from doing so by unsustainable debts – with vital funds instead being drained away in debt repayments to some of the world’s richest lenders.

Right now, they are spending five times more on debt repayments than on dealing with the effects of the climate crisis. And worse still many countries are being forced to invest in fossil fuels to pay off debts.  

In a months’ time world leaders will be meeting for COP28, the global UN climate summit. We’ll be there to demand debt cancellation for climate justice. But decisions that will affect the outcome of the talks are being made now. It’s crucial we start building pressure.  

In solidarity,  

Wiz, Eva, Zak and the Debt Justice team.